


I Just Knew We Were Meant To Be Together

by LucyLegacies



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, First Crush, Hizzie growing up, i don't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:48:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 40,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucyLegacies/pseuds/LucyLegacies
Summary: There are things in life that you just know and 5 years old Elizabeth Saltzman just knew that she and Hope would be friends. She just knew.As for 7 years old Hope, staying at the SBS would be incredibly good if she could spend all her days with Lizzie and Josie. But she can't so she just watches them trying every day harder to be Hope's friends.This story follows all canon's important plots. It starts when Hope comes to the SBS and goes from there passing through importants events mentioned in Legacies/TO/TVD and some others that I'll make up.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 101
Kudos: 234





	1. Please Stay

**Author's Note:**

> It is my first ever fic. To be honest I'm kind of expecting that no one will read. I feel very silly doing this but I'll do it anyway.

Lizzie was peacefully sleeping when she felt a tug. She woke up immediately and looked around breathless for the source of the tug. It was a magical tug and she felt it calling her.

"Josie, wake up. Wake up."

Josie woke up in a jump.

"What do you want, Lizzie?"

"Can't you feel it, Josie?"

"What?"

"Magic! Someone new just got to the school. Let's check it."

"You know mom and dad will ground us if they caught us. Go back to sleep."

"But Josie..."

"Now, Lizzie. Goodnight."

So Lizzie went back to sleep. She didn't want to be grounded and lose movie night with the kids. But Lizzie didn't get to sleep much because she felt the tug again. Stronger this time. It even hurt her a little. She looked at Josie and saw her grimacing in her sleep: a sign that she also felt the tug, just not as hard as Lizzie felt it. Lizzie couldn't sleep anymore, the feeling in her body demanding her to go after it.

So she got up and went to find it. She followed the feeling till the headmaster's office. She came to a sudden stop. Her dad was there and so was her mom and another woman. They were talking. About what Lizzie could imagine: The woman wanted to enroll her kid at the Salvatore Boarding School. But Lizzie couldn't find any kid around. She felt the pull and the push again and she looked around desperately to find the source. When she couldn't find it she returned her look to her parents. They invited the woman to the private office. As they were entering, the woman called a name.

"Hope?"

"I'm here, mom." Said a girl appearing behind her. Lizzie almost screamed but sneaking around all the time with Josie helped her control herself. The girl, Hope, was the only one that noticed her and for a split second Lizzie thought that she would tell the adults about her hiding place. But the girl only raised one of her eyebrows and went to her mom.

Lizzie could feel that the power calling her was Hope's and she knew that she should probably just head back to her room before her mom and dad could see her. But the only thing in Lizzie's mind at the moment was _How can she raise only one eyebrow?_

* * *

Hope did not want to come to the Salvatore Boarding School. The place was too big and too cold and too wrong. Her mom had said to her that she didn't need to stay there. All she had to say was no and her mom would give her time. Hope needed time. And she needed time with her family. In New Orleans where they all belonged.

She was about to say that to her mom when she spotted a blonde head. It belonged to a little girl crawling very slowly as if to not be heard. _So she is hiding_ , thought Hope. The blonde girl started looking around frantically as if looking for something. She didn't spot Hope, though.

"Hope?" She heard her mom calling.

"I'm here, mom." Said Hope finding funny the little scared jump that the little girl did. So Hope just gathered her best mom face and looked the girl down with one raised eyebrow. The look the girl gave her back was so funny that Hope decided that SBS wasn't such a rotting place as she thought at first.

"Do you wanna come in?" Asked Hope's mom.

"No, mom. I want to wait outside." Her mom and the headmasters entered the room and Hope was left alone with the girl.

"You can stop crawling now." Said Hope. The girl came out and Hope finally could see her face. She had blue eyes and in those eyes Hope saw curiosity.

"So, Hope, right?"

Hope tilted her head. The girl looked like a queen saying that as if she hasn't just sneaked and crawled when she was supposed to be sleeping.

"Yes. And you are..."

"Lizzie. Are you a new student?"

"I'm not going to stay."

"Why not?" Asked Lizzie. Hope could see that the girl was restless. Lizzie was playing with her hand as if to stop her from touching something.

Why not? Why didn't Hope want to come to SBS? Because she would miss her family. She just wanted her dad to come back and hug her. She also loved NOLA and beignets. She wouldn't find them here. But the real reason why Hope didn't want to come was because she was different. She knew that she was a tribrid. Something different and powerful and that caused her trouble. But she wouldn't say that to the girl.

She didn't need to, anyway, because Lizzie's next words were:

"Is it because you're different?"

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it." Said Lizzie and that just made Hope's conviction of not staying stronger. Hope didn't want anyone feeling her freakiness.

"Can I show you something cool, Hope?"

"Sure."

The girl came closer then, at first hesitantly but getting confident with each step. She stopped right in front of Hope and took Hope's hands. Then something extraordinary happened and Hope knew at that moment that she would stay here. 

* * *

"Can I show you something cool, Hope?"

"Sure."

Hope didn't looked convinced but Lizzie went anyway. She wanted to run to Hope and touch her and get rid of this annoying tug but she couldn't risk scaring Hope off so she went very slowly. The pull was getting stronger so Lizzie got faster with each step. When she finally got in front of Hope and took her hands she felt the most amazing feeling. She felt whole and not for the first time she wished that she were a normal witch and not a siphoner. She wanted to be like this always. She imagined being Hope and feeling always this good. Right now she wanted to be Hope.

* * *

Hope couldn't believe what she was feeling. Being a tribrid Hope got used to the power. It was crushing sometimes but there was nothing she could do. She had to live with it. But when Lizzie touched her Hope felt so free and light that she almost thought that she could fly away. It was the most amazing thing and Hope just wanted life to be always this easy. She looked to Lizzie's satisfied face and wished she were Lizzie: always able to feel that way.

"How are you doing this?" Asked Hope.

"You're not the only one different. I'm a siphon witch. I don't have any magic of my own. I have to take it from something or someone. That was what I was just doing. Siphoning you. Your magic is amazing."

Hope looked at the girl. A siphon witch? Hope had never heard about this kind of witch. So Lizzie was also different. At this thought Hope felt a click inside her body. As if something had been put in place.

"Please stay at the school." Said Lizzie and Hope couldn't think of the multiple reasons why she didn't want to. Because Hope had finally found someone just like her. Different, powerful and troublesome. Hope felt herself smiling. Lizzie was surely troublesome. Hope could just feel it and she loved it.

"We can be friends, Hope. You will love it here."

Hope looked to the small girl's face. She was hopeful. Hope was older and taller and had been through some very bad things. But Lizzie didn't. Lizzie's face was one of sunny days and happy life. Hope wanted to be near her. So Hope made her decision.

"I really-"

Hope was interrupted by the private office's door opening.

"Will you stay?" Whispered Lizzie, already going to her hiding place.

"Hope, can you come here, please?" Said Hope's mom. Hope went to her mom and before she could speak anything or Hope could change her mind she just blurted out:

"I want to stay here." Her mom was really surprised but all she said was:

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, mom. I think I'll like it. I think I'll have friends."

So her mom smiled at her and Hope smiled back. When Hope looked for Lizzie she wasn't there anymore but Hope was sure, she could feel it, that Lizzie had heard Hope and knew it was actually an answer for Lizzie's question. She would stay.

* * *

As soon as Lizzie heard Hope saying that she would stay she ran away to her room. She was feeling super excited and happy. She almost felt as if she was going to explode. She couldn't wait to be Hope's friend. To touch her and make them both feel good. Every time Lizzie siphoned someone she caused them pain and she felt guilty but not to Hope. To Hope she caused happiness. She just couldn't wait. Lizzie knew that they were going to be friends. She just knew.


	2. The Meaning of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope remembers why her family can't be together and decides what is best for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoy this one. I wanted to update soon but I got trapped somewhere between my job and my university.

The next couple of days were crazy. Hope buying school stuff and bringing her things to the SBS. She didn't get to see Lizzie and she was already feeling anxious. Dr Saltzman had two daughters, Josette and Elizabeth, that Hope would meet the next day for a "Sunday Fun Tour" so Hope would know the school before her first class on monday. The headmaster said that his daughters knew the school so well because they were always sneaking around finding new hiding places. Hope didn't want to meet Elizabeth or Josette or have a "Sunday Fun Tour" but she wouldn't tell their father that the only person Hope was interested in meet was Lizzie and that the rest could magically turn themselves into frogs. No, she wouldn't say that. So she just showed her gratitude and said that she would be ready when the girls came to pick her up in her room. Her mom had stayed with her last night but she wouldn't be here tonight and Hope felt a little lost and alone. "Tomorrow" she thought. "Tomorrow I'll ask the twins to help me find Lizzie and I'll finally have friends". Hope woke the next day excited and got ready for the twins to pick her up. Exactly on the scheduled time Hope heard a knock on her door. When she opened it a little body came rushing and fell on her. She didn't need to look at the girl to know who she was but she looked anyway and as soon as their eyes met Hope felt the freedom again. That amazing feeling of being near Lizzie. Hope closed her eyes and enjoyed that for a little while.

* * *

Lizzie was so excited that Hope was going to stay at the school. She wanted to tell Josie that she had met Hope but Josie would probably just sell her out later. So she kept it a secret. The next day after meeting Hope, Lizzie and Josie went to auntie Bonnie's house and slept over so Lizzie didn't get the chance to look for Hope but she would meet her again the next day because her dad had scheduled Lizzie and Josie for a tour of the school with Hope. Lizzie barely could contain herself. She could feel Hope, even being far from her, like an itch that wouldn't go away. Maybe touching Hope again would ease the feeling. When Lizzie's mom finally woke them up for the tour, Lizzie jumped out of bed. Her mom dressed them in their uniforms and took them to breakfast. Lizzie ate it faster than she thought possible and hurried Josie. When they finished and mom was getting Lizzie's hair right, since she never stopped and it was already a mess, Josie smiled.

"See you there, Lizzie." Said Josie and went off running.

"No! Come back here. Mom, bye." Said Lizzie and went running after Josie, hairstyle forgotten. When she got close to Hope's door she saw that Josie was already there, so Lizzie just ran faster.

When she finally reached it the door opened and Lizzie lost balance and fell over Hope. She knew it was Hope because as soon as their eyes met, Lizzie involuntary started siphoning her and the felt that relief again. Seconds passed by and Lizzie enjoyed being with Hope again until she felt someone grabbing her. Josie.

"Stop doing this. You're going to hurt her and mom and dad will be upset with you." Said Josie helping Lizzie to get up. Lizzie was about to say that she didn't hurt Hope because she was different when she looked at Hope again. She looked so sad and hurt that Lizzie really thought that she had hurted Hope.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just-"

"Let's just start with the tour."

Lizzie had no idea of what was happening. One moment Hope looked happy and now she looked like she was angry. What changed?

* * *

The feeling of quiet and happiness stoped when someone took Lizzie off Hope.

"Stop doing this. You're going to hurt her and mom and dad will be upset with you." Said the other girl helping Lizzie to get up.

Hope looked at them not understanding the scene for a second until it finally clicked: Lizzie was one of the twins. The headmaster's daughter. Hope looked at the girls. Sisters. They were so different but they were sisters nonetheless. Hope remembered of another siblings she knew. Her family, the Mikaelsons. They were now scattered across the world because of Hope. To save her. Lizzie was saying something but Hope wasn't paying attention so she just said:

"Let's just start with the tour." She said.

Hope was angry now. She had stayed at the school because of Lizzie. Because she thought that she would be her friend. But now Hope was trapped inside the school and she wouldn't even have friends. Watching Lizzie and Josette talk and show her the school only served one purpose: remind Hope that her family was away from her because of her. Hope didn't want to be the cause of another separation between siblings. She knew that it wasn't her fault and that it wouldn't happen again but the fear was getting too consuming. She had to get out. By now the tour inside the house was almost over so she could find an excuse to run away.

"Liz... Elizabeth, Josette, I need to get back to my room. I forgot something."

"Just call us Lizzie and Josie." Said Lizzie with a puzzled face. Hope couldn't blame her. She was acting weird if compared to their previous meeting. When she turned around to get back to her room she heard Josie saying that she would go play with her friends in the resting room. Hope's heart broke a little at the word "friends". Lizzie said something that Hope didn't heard because she was almost running back to her room. Fear and fright and desperation taking over her.

* * *

"I'll get back to mom and ask her to get my hair together." Said Lizzie when Josie informed her that she would play with the kids. The truth was that Lizzie wanted to cry. She spent the last two days making plans and thinking about Hope for nothing. Lizzie just wanted to go back to her room, hug her doll and cry. But her feet took her somewhere else and when she noticed she was in front of Hope's room. Again.

She knocked this time and waited for Hope to answer. But she didn't. Lizzie knew that Hope was inside. She could feel her magic. So Lizzie did something her parents would ground her if they knew: she used a spell she had learned just last month to open doors and windows. When Lizzie came inside she found Hope sitting on the ground crying.

Lizzie had no idea of what to do so she just hugged Hope and felt herself siphoning. Since Hope didn't complain or stoped her, Lizzie continued the siphoning until Hope had stoped crying. When Hope finally looked at her, she scared Lizzie. Hope's eyes, so beautifully blue just two days ago, were now ugly. Lizzie got up and extended a hand for Hope but she didn't take it. Instead she said:

"Please, leave my room."

"Okay. Do you want me to bring-"

"I don't want anything from you." Said Hope. Not angry. Not sad. Not anything. Lizzie had never seen someone so... so... Lizzie couldn't even find words to explain so she just left without saying anything. As soon as she got out she ran to her room and cried. Lizzie cried because she was a child and anything was a reason to cry over. She cried because, even though she had a lot of friends, Hope didn't want to be one of them. But mostly she cried because she couldn't understand what had just happened. Why didn't Hope want to be friends with her?

* * *

Hope was also crying. She had started crying again as soon as Lizzie walked out. She was crying because she wanted her family back together. She was crying because she was just a child and had already a lot of reasons to cry over. But mostly she was crying because she understood something when Lizzie was hugging her: she wanted Lizzie and Josie to be happy together. Hope didn't want them to have reasons to cry over like she did. That would be easier if Hope kept her distance. She would be doing the best she could ever do to them. This is friendship. Doing the best for the people you like. And she liked siphoning-sneaking-little-queen Lizzie and Josie, that had just met Hope and was so sweet to her. So she cried the loss of a friendship that ended way too soon.

* * *

None of the three girls knew at the moment, Josie playing carefree and Lizzie and Hope starting a pattern of crying because of each other without letting the other one know, that their path were forever linked and that they were already friends in the _future_ , because of the things they would still get through together, and in the _past_ because of all the pain and loss that happened to bring them close, and in the _present_ because of the choices being made by higher forces to keep them exactly where they are. No, they didn't know and when they finally found out it would be too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Am I overdramatic? Please share your opinion. I promise to reply. An excellent monday to everyone.


	3. Feelings and Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is destiny that brought Lizzie and Hope together. Lizzie knows it. But sometimes destiny needs a hand to happen properly and Lizzie is a bit too helpful of the destiny forces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I wanted this chapter to very Lizzie-like and I suppose I got her right. Tell me if you agree with me in the comments please.

One year. It's been one year since Hope decided she wanted to stay at the Salvatore school. The school was relatively new and it didn't have a lot of students so their classes weren't organized by grades but more like requirements disciplines for a period of time. This educational type of organization made Hope share classes with kids younger and older than her. Inevitably, she shared classes with Lizzie and Josie. More so with Lizzie. If Hope didn't know better she would say Lizzie chose exactly the classes Hope chose but that couldn't be right since the only way for someone besides the counselor to know what Hope would take was if Hope told someone and Hope barely said greetings to people. So Hope just sighed internally when she entered the classroom for the first day of the semester and found Lizzie already there and reading a book. She didn't notice Hope being so immersed in the book. She was wearing glasses and her hair pulled up with a butterfly clip and she looked younger than her 6 years old. Again Hope felt that desire to just walk up to her and ask her what she was reading and if Hope could join her. But Hope did no such thing. She just found a spot as away as possible from Lizzie and kept looking at the younger girl with longing eyes.

* * *

Lizzie was probably going to get in trouble if her parents figure it out that she broke into the counselor's office and saw Hope's schedule for the semester. In Lizzie's defense it wasn't much of a breaking in if the counselor door was open and if the counselor herself had asked Lizzie to go there and take her Feeling Stone that she would use in the next group therapy. Lizzie was the headmaster's daughter and the teachers would ask her and Josie their help all the time. And Lizzie loved being helpful. If Hope's schedule was just there and Lizzie got to see it wasn't her fault. And if Lizzie probably chose her own schedule based on Hope's wasn't her fault either. It was just destiny and Lizzie was sure destiny wanted her to be friends with Hope. It was impossible for her to outrun destiny. In the end Harry Potter had to fight Voldemort and Luke had to face his father, Darth Vader. The reason? Destiny.

So when Lizzie felt Hope entering she just continued reading her book and ignoring Hope. If the last year had taught her something was that trying to get to Hope wasn't working and Lizzie had to change her strategy. She even read a book about strategies and one of the lessons were " _Sometimes you have to let the enemy come to you. You just have to be prepared_." So Lizzie was doing just that. With some changes of course. Yes, she was going to wait for Hope to come to her but, no, Lizzie would not just leave it at that. She would _make_ Hope come to her.

She could feel Hope's stare. She wanted to look at her so badly but she had to wait. If everything went as planned, they would be spending a lot of time together.

Other students started to come in and not long after the teacher came in too.

"So, boys and girls, my name is Angelina Appleton and I'd like for this semester to be amazing for all of you. This discipline is called Feelings and Magic and it is a pre requirement for the Theory of Feeling's Spells that you will take in a few semesters. You will, hopefully, learn this semester that the spells you make is just as powerful as the emotion behind it. So if you want to make a Happiness Potion, you must really, with all your heart, desire to bring happiness for the person that is going to drink that potion. And not just desire but you also have to believe that you can bring happiness. That's why most love potions don't work properly: if the one making it really believed that they could make someone love them they wouldn't need a love potion to do that. Don't you agree? But you will have to learn these things for yourself. I'm going to give you an assignment for the semester. It's going to work like this..."

* * *

_**3 weeks earlier** _

"I really don't like Hope." Said Lizzie to the counselor.

"Why not?" Asked Miss Warren.

"I don't think she likes me. I don't think she likes anyone to be fair." It was a lie, of course. Lizzie knew that Hope liked her. Lizzie just didn't know why Hope pretends like she doesn't. And that's why she was here in the counselor's office in a perfect saturday. She had just yesterday asked her dad to approve her schedule for the next semester and although he looked at her narrow-eyed he said nothing besides: " _You sure you want this schedule_?" And when she confirmed and gave him a smile bigger than her face he smiled back and said ok.

So now, after studying a bit about the disciplines she would take and reading a book about strategies she was ready to make Hope be her friend. She just had this inconvenient meeting with the counselor and another one with her future teacher of Feelings and Magic and everything would be ready to go.

"That is not nice of you to say, Lizzie."

"I know. I just wanted her to know how I feel about her. I really wanted to be her friend and every time that she turns me down hurts so much." Lizzie wasn't lying this time. She knew that the only way the counselor would do something was if she really let her know how she felt. So she cried and let her emotions out.

"I'm so sorry about it, Lizzie. What about we make a deal? You come more times to see me and we can talk more about it. It could make you feel better."

Lizzie wasn't counting on having more meetings with the counselor but she couldn't say no. So she just said:

"Yes, I think that would be great. Could you please don't tell my father about Hope? I know you have to tell my parents about the meetings so could you please tell just mom?"

"I'll talk to her first. Okay?"

"Okay." Lizzie didn't want her father to know nothing about it so if she could convince the counselor to talk to her mom she would be able to convince her mom not to tell her dad.

Lizzie looked at the clock. Almost 2 pm. Just a few minutes.

"Thank you. Really. For the book you gave me last christmas. I loved it. I wish hobbits and elves existed in real life."

"I knew you would love it. I also-" She was interrupted by a knock in the door. "Just a second, Lizzie, I'll tell them to wait."

"No!" Lizzie blurted out. "I mean- I was just leaving anyway. I suppose it's your girlfriend, right?" Lizzie finished with a innocent smile so the counselor wouldn't notice her excitement.

"I suppose it is. Come in. Oh, hello, Angie."

It was her girlfriend, miss Appleton. It wasn't just fate that had made Lizzie find herself between her future teacher and her counselor. Lizzie knew that every saturday at 2 o' clock miss Warren and miss Appleton would go visit miss Warren's family in town. Lizzie had asked to talk to miss Warren exactly this day and time on purpose. Yes, it was a little manipulative of her but mom always said that sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.

"Hello, Ronnie and hello, Lizzie. I didn't mean to interrupt." Said miss Appleton.

"I was just leaving. I just needed to talk with miss Warren about Hop-" She interrupted herself right on time. "About something that was bothering me. Better just go already or I'll lose movie time with the kids. And today they'll watch Back to the Future. Bye, miss Warren and thank you. Bye, miss Appleton." Lizzie left the room crossing her fingers for her seed to grow.

* * *

Angie watched as the little girl left the office. As soon as the girl closed the door she turned her attention to her girlfriend.

"She'll take Feelings and Magic with me this semester. I just got the list of the enrolled kids this morning. She's such a sweet little girl but I felt her disturbed today." Angie, being a PhD in psychology and a witch, was very sensitive when it came to feelings.

"She's having trouble being friends with certain someone."

"Hope? I know, I know. You can't tell me things about your patients. I'm a psychologist too. It's just impossible not to notice that Lizzie and Josie want to be Hope's friends but Hope ignores them all the time for some reason."

"I can't say anything." Ronnie looked annoyed at her attempts of getting her opinion.

"You wanna know the funny thing?" Asked Angie.

"You will tell me anyway." Said Ronnie smiling.

"Both of them enrolled for Feelings and Magic." Said Angie with a smirk.

"Oh, no, Angie. Don't you dare!"

"What?" Said Angie with a innocent face. "Don't you dare what? Put the two of them in the assignment together? Oh, I wouldn't think of doing that."

"You are a lost cause. Why do I even bother?"

"Because you love me."

It was true, Angie knew it and Ronnie knew it too. So they just left Ronnie's office without noticing that at the end of the corridor a pair of blue eyes watched them leaving with a hopeful look.

* * *

**_Now_ **

"[...] I'm going to give you an assignment for the semester. It's going to work like this: I'm going to organize you in pairs. Each pair will get an emotion and till the end of the semester we will work with spells, potions and even movies and books that explore the emotion. In the end I'll ask each pair to present their findings. Anybody have any questions?"

No one raised their hand and Lizzie could only wait to see if her plan had worked.

"Ok, then. I'll read the names of the pairs and the emotion now. Alyssa Chang and Anthony Clash, empathy. Carolyn Miller and Faith Wood, sadness."

Lizzie could barely hear the names. She was feeling so anxious she was sure her heart would explode.

"And finally Hope Marshall and Elizabeth Saltzman, friendship."

Just as the teacher was saying the names and Lizzie was mentally congratulating herself for being this clever, she heard a puking noise. She didn't need to turn around to know who was puking and the reason. She turned anyway and saw Hope running away as if escaping a monster. Well, Lizzie supposed she was being a bit of a monster but she couldn't feel guilty. So she just smiled and said very loudly.

"I suppose I should go after my assignment partner and work on that friendship thing. Can I, miss Appleton?"

"Yes, of course. Go after your partner. I'll let the nurse know what happened so she can make sure Hope's okay."

Lizzie nodded and gathered her thins. As she was leaving the classroom she heard Alyssa whisper too dramatic and too loudly to be innocent:

"Oh, what an irony that Lizzie and Hope would end up with friendship."

Lizzie stoped and took the time to look at Alyssa. When the girl realized she was being watched she just said a very fake apology and turned her look to the teacher. She would be a problem soon enough, Lizzie knew it, but for now she decided to ignore her and go after Hope.

* * *

"[...] Anybody have any questions?"

Hope felt herself floating. She couldn't have that bad luck, could she? Organized in pairs? There were 24 students in this class and what were the chances that Hope would end up with Lizzie? Apparently very high, because she did end up with Lizzie and friendship. A damned combination, her aunt Rebekah would say. Hope felt herself being pulled back to the ground and a sick feeling came over her making her puke. She just got up and run away.

She was puking because of Lizzie now? She is a Mikaelson, for God's sake and Mikaelsons don't puke out of fear. She didn't think that Mikaelsons puked at all. She got to her room and brushed her teeth. She knew Lizzie would come after her. Just as she finished thinking that she heard a knock.

She sighed very loudly and opened the door not seeing a way to escape Lizzie.

"Hey, Lizzie."

"Hey, Hope. I brought your things." Said Lizzie nervously. Lizzie's nervousness combined with Hope's weak resolution of sending her away made Hope say:

"Do you wanna come in?"

"Yes! I mean... Just if you want to." Said Lizzie trying to hide her excitement. Hope could see through Lizzie completely though. And what she saw was only pure innocent concern for Hope and the desire of something more: friendship. Their subject feeling, ironically. Hope, being who she is, was used to call a lot of things ironic in her life. But nothing would ever be more ironic than the fact that Lizzie Saltzman existed in the same place, time and dimension Hope existed.

Lizzie got in her room and looked around. When she finally looked back at Hope she was smirking. "i would never have imagined that Hope Mikaelson was a nervous puking kind of girl."

"How...?!"

Hope didn't know what to ask. _How do you know my real last name? Why did you assumed that I puked out of nervousness?_ She didn't need to ask any of those questions though because as always, Lizzie could read her and answered her.

"One of the privileges of being the headmaster's daughter is that I get to hear him talking with parents when he's with us and I also know where he hides the keys to the record room and I'm a siphon witch so I could remove the protective spell. I don't think he and mom imagined that me or Josie would ever try to break in." Said her a little embarrassed. Hope found it funny. Parents always thought their kids were the best. The Mikaelsons and her mom did think Hope was the best thing that ever existed. Not that she agreed with them. "And I think you puked because of the fact that you got paired with me. It's not a secret that you've been avoiding me since you got here."

Hope couldn't say otherwise. Lizzie was right. But about her name... "About my name-" Said Hope.

"I know I can't tell anyone, Hope. You don't have to worry about it." And Hope trusted Lizzie. It was always easy to trust her.

"I also know you don't want to be my friend." Lizzie couldn't be more wrong but Hope didn't say anything. "But we have to work together so I don't care about what you want. At least this semester we are going to be friends and you are going to like it!"

Hope almost laughed at Lizzie being this bossy about Hope's feelings. Since Hope couldn't escape Lizzie's resolve to be her friend, she didn't even tried. It was for an assignment anyway. That was the only reason Hope would let her guard down. She needed to do this in order to succeed in Feelings and Magic. And if Hope enjoyed it along the way it wasn't really her fault. There was nothing she could or wanted to do. She was stuck with Lizzie now.

"I suppose I can try to like you for one semester." Said Hope and she could see Lizzie's competitive self taking possession of her. It was a bet Lizzie had already won because Hope adored her but letting Lizzie play the game and playing with her was funnier and Hope really needed fun in her life. So for this semester she would just be a playing kid with Lizzie. Just for a while she would pretend she could be always this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please say what you think. I really like to interact with you guys.


	4. The Giving Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and Lizzie start their assignment together and Josie decides it is time for cookies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short one. I hope everyone had the best holiday. I know I spent mine reading and watching series and it was the absolute best for me.

"Yes, aunt Rebekah." Hope smiled at her aunt's attempts of making Hope popular.

_"You have to find out who is the kid in charge and fight for the throne. Who is it? The kid in charge."_

Hope thought about it. Who was the kid in charge? Probably Lizzie and Josie. All the teachers loved them, they were the headmaster's children and everyone wanted to be their friend.

"Probably the Saltzmans." Said Hope to her aunt.

" _Okay, then. Do you already have a plan to kick them out of your deserved place?_ "

"No, aunt Rebekah. They are really nice."

 _"Do you like them?"_ Her aunt's voice softened.

Hope changed the subject a little and said "I just got paired with Lizzie Saltzman in Feelings and Magic. Our subject is Friendship."

_"Did you like being paired with her?"_

Did Hope like it? No at all. It would just be harder to shake her off later. But did Hope love it? Yes. Hope loved that just yesterday Lizzie had brought her chocolate and demanded that Hope came to her room later today for homework duty.

"I don't dislike it." Said Hope. What could she possibly say that wouldn't alert her family of her miserable attempts at not having friends?

" _Is Lizzie the blonde one?"_ Asked her aunt.

"Yes. With the bluest eyes." Said Hope realizing that she sounded way too dreamy about it. She sighed and thought to herself that she really needed to get a friend. A safe one.

 _"Your eyes are prettier."_ Said her aunt and Hope had to laugh. Her family would think that she's amazing even if she had horns and a tail. They would probably love her even more if so.

"I have to go now, aunt Rebekah. Say hello to Marcel. I love you."

_"I love you too, Hope. Have fun this weekend."_

"I will." Said Hope thinking about how she would spend her weekend. She finished the call and prepared herself for Lizzie Saltzman. 

* * *

"You got paired with Hope M.?" Said Josie laughing.

"Yes." Answered Lizzie without breaking her attention on the videogame.

"Poor you. She hates us."

"She doesn't hate us." Said Lizzie rolling her eyes.

"She didn't give us a single gift for our 6th birthday. And she's super rich."

"Yeah... Maybe she hates us a little." Said Lizzie finally looking at her twin. They both started giggling.

"I know she doesn't hate us. She simply doesn't want to be our friend." Josie noticed that Lizzie was about to say something when they got interrupted by a knock on their door. Josie got up and went to open it.

"Hope! What are you doing here?" Josie was surprised that Hope even knew where their room was.

"I have homework to do with Lizzie." Said Hope.

"I forgot to tell you, Josie." Said Lizzie starting to blush. Josie looked at both girls with an uneasy feeling. Josie did not like to be left out. And ever since Hope got here that she felt Lizzie being weird. It probably didn't help that Hope would do almost everything to avoid them as if they were some plague.

"Come in." Lizzie was saying to Hope. "Josie, will you stay here and help us?"

Josie looked at Lizzie then. No, she wouldn't stay here and help her sister probably be turned down by Hope again. "No, Lizzie. I'll go look for mom. She said she would paint my nails today. See you soon, girls."

So Josie get out of their room and went looking for her mom. The uneasy feeling still troubling her. She also wanted to be Hope's friends, of course. Not just because of her power, that Josie really wanted to siphon and see for herself if Lizzie was right about it being amazing, but also because Josie felt as if they were meant to be friends, the three of them. Although she didn't know the whole thing, their families had history together, Josie knew that much. She was six, not stupid, and she could see her dad's neck vein jumping every time Hope's dad was mentioned. She sighed loudly as a bored teenager, her mom would say. Where was her mom, by the way? Josie kept looking.

* * *

Lizzie was super excited that Hope was in her room for the first time. "I'm glad you came. We can sit on my bed, okay?"

"Okay." Said Hope.

"For our first topic we have to look for books and movies that talk about friendship. Have you searched for anything?" Lizzie, of course, had already made a list with 21 books about friendship and 16 movies. She had also picked her favorite in both lists and made another list with their similarities. _Manic_ , that's the word she had learned just last week.

"Yeah. I think the movie Bridge to Terabithia is a good one." Said Hope.

"Why so sad? I was thinking something happier like Harry Potter, ET, Toy Story." All of those in Lizzie's Favorites List. _Okay, Hope Mikaelson, if you want sad, I'll give you sad_. Thought Lizzie. "Maybe you'll like The Giving Tree. I have it here. Let me take it." Lizzie got up and went to the bookshelf to pick up the book. It wasn't one of her favorites. Too sad to make it to the List and too complex for her to fully understand it. But she took it anyway and gave it to Hope.

"Read it out loud." And as Hope was reading it Lizzie again couldn't understand how the tree could be so stupid for giving everything to the boy.

* * *

Hope, on the other hand, could understand. The tree wanted the boy to be happy no matter how. Even if it hurted, even if the tree had to give an essential part away... It wouldn't matter as long as the boy was happy. The boy, oblivious of all the things the tree was giving up, only took and took. Hope sometimes felt like the boy. Her family would give her everything, give up even being together for her to be safe. And she only took it and never gave anything back. But sometimes she would be the tree, willing to do something that hurted her if it meant that the people she loved would be safe in the long run. Hope liked the book and Lizzie noticed because her next word were:

"You can have it."

"Really?" Asked Hope.

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. And we can use this book since you liked it so much. Now, about the--" Lizzie got interrupted by the door opening. "Oh, Josie."

"I couldn't find mom. Is it ok if you two finish homework later? I went to the kitchen and stole these." Said Josie with a smirk and a small bag. "Cookies."

"We can always make time for cookies." Said Lizzie opening a space in bed for Josie to join.

Hope felt weird. Is it like this to have friends? She looked at Lizzie trying to take one of the cookies and Josie tapping her hand.

"The pink one is mine." Said Josie.

"But I want the pink one." Said Lizzie.

"I stole the cookies so I get to choose first."

"That's a lame rule."

"No, it isn't."

They started a staring contest that lasted until Lizzie finally gave up and took the yellow cookie leaving Hope with the blue one. Hope took it and listened to Josie and Lizzie laughing at nothing and letting cookies crumbs fall all over the bed. _So easy to just be their friend_ , thought Hope.

"What is it?" Asked Josie pointing to Hope's bracelet.

"When I'm wearing it, it suppresses my magic. Sometimes magic gets a little too much and it hurts me. This bracelet prevents it." Explains Hope.

"It hurts us too." Says Josie. "Not having it."

"What do you mean?" Asks Hope.

Josie looks at Lizzie then. As if it was a secret they never told anyone. Lizzie nods her head so Josie continues. "No one understands. Dad is human and mum is a vampire and all the witches we know are normal. But we are siphoners. We don't have magic. Is like... Is like..." Josie looked at Lizzie then, trying to find a word to explain or waiting for her sister to do it.

"It's like wanting the pink cookie all the time and having it in your hand but you can never eat it." Says Lizzie and Hope doesn't understand.

"And even when you eat it, it doesn't taste delicious." Finishes Josie and the twins look at each other with understanding.

"There was only one time that it tasted delicious." Said Lizzie looking at Hope. Hope remembered that first night when Lizzie siphoned her. She wanted Lizzie to do it again.

"Do you wanna do it?" Asked Hope and looked at the girls.

* * *

Their mom and dad had always said that they should never try to siphon a friend. Siphoning hurted and they shouldn't hurt their friends. Josie and Lizzie had hurted their mom a lot when they were upset and they siphoned without noticing. So when Hope asked them if they wanted to siphon from her, Josie's first thought was that they would hurt her. But then she remembered her sister saying that Hope liked it and if Josie was being sincere she really wanted to do it.

"Are you sure?" Asked Josie.

"Yeah." Said Hope taking her bracelet off. She holds out one hand for Josie to take it and one for Lizzie. Both twins take it and magic starts flowing through it as a waterfall. Instinctively, Lizzie and Josie reached out for each other's hands closing the circle.

Josie had never felt anything like this before. It was like finally eating the pink cookie and it tasted better than all the cookies in the world. It was like running around and laughing till your tummy hurted. Like all the christmas and birthdays presents at once.

* * *

_Like family and friends together in peace. Like happiness_. Thought Hope. What was it with the Saltzman twins that made Hope feel like this? She had already made shared spells with kids in some classes and she had also shared her magic with her aunt Freya. But none of those occasions made her feel like this. She felt like a puzzle finally put together. That scared her. She opened her eyes and the first eyes she met was Lizzie's. She could swear Lizzie knew exactly what she was feeling and that just scared Hope even more. She broke the bond and as soon as the magic stoped flowing from her to the girls, Hope was brought to the real world and she ran away.

* * *

Lizzie knew Hope was scared but she didn't know why. It wasn't because the siphoning hurted. Lizzie new that Hope liked it as much as she and her sister did. She tried going after Hope but her sister stoped her.

"Don't. I don't think her problem is with us. At all." Said Josie with a sad face.

"Okay." Said Lizzie knowing Josie understood something she didn't. She didn't quite get it. In her mind, things were easy. You like someone, you go for it. You don't pretend and you don't hide. Why would you? Why would Hope?

So Lizzie just stayed with her sister. Josie would never pretend or hide because Lizzie was her best friend and twin sister. Lizzie smiled at her sister. Josie would never hurt her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments. I love knowing what you guys are thinking about it.


	5. Cursed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and Lizzie finally get their assignment done and their teacher finds an interesting truth about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry that took me this long to post another chapter.   
> I started working full-time at the daycare and I'm still finishing uni so I'm a messy mess right now but I really wanted to post something.   
> In this chapter I finally start to shape my fic into what I intend to do in the end. I'll still be as canon compliant as I can but I'll change some things with the purpose of storytelling. This chapter I start with what will be the solution I have in mind for the merge at the end.

The semester passed by and before Lizzie knew it, it was time for them to show their findings. Lizzie wasn't feeling very cheerful. Her attempts didn't work and every time she got a little bit closer to Hope, the other girl just distanced herself more. Lizzie knew when it was time to give up a fight. She would just finish this assignment and move on without Hope Mikaelson. For now.

"During the semester we learned that there are spells that require friendship from the witches performing it and those spells only work if the bond is truthful. We also learned that friendship binds two or more souls together forever."

Lizzie listened to Hope talking with longing, knowing that she would have to wait to be Hope's friend. She just hoped it wouldn't take too long. She thought about the result of the spell they made just last week with the teacher's help.

The teacher had given them spells to work during the semester and helped each pair differently. For Hope and Lizzie's Friendship, one of the proposed spells was a magical tree. The teacher said that the book The Giving Tree gave her an idea and she thought that the project would be amazing for the girls. Hope and Lizzie would have to plant a tree and water it for the first time with a drop of Hope and Lizzie's tear. Then each of them would have to tell the tree a secret without letting the other know what and finish the spell with Lizzie siphoning Hope and putting the magic in the tree. Miss Appleton would be there all the time helping them. They did it perfectly, said the teacher to them with a weird face, and the tree was left to grow in the school's garden.

* * *

Angelina, the teacher, watched the girls talk about their assignment without paying much attention. She wasn't like this but the Hope/twins dilemma was a difficult one.

When she proposed the magical tree she was expecting something else entirely. It was usually a funny thing: after the little witches performing it finished the spell the drawing/stone/necklace, or in Lizzie and Hope's case the tree, would part into two pieces, each of it containing the secret they had told before in a funny way. Angelina had seen drawing-changing sheets of paper, stones parting in half reveling beautiful changing patterns on the inside and friendship necklaces that would change all the time according to humour, whether or both. _Change_ being the constant. It was always a pleasant surprise, funnier or more elaborated depending on the bond shared between the spell-casters, even if the friendship between the kids wasn't that strong. So Angelina got really surprised when the tree didn't part, instead two leaves had fallen from it. One of them yellowish and the other one bluish. Lizzie took the first and Hope the late, as if they _just knew._ What, Angelina could just wonder. She looked closer expecting the funny changing stuff that she adored but she couldn't find it. There was only one drawing on each leaf: two hands held together. _And it didn't change_. She congratulated the girls and went to the library. She had research to do.

She spent the rest of the day trying to understand what went wrong. Was it Hope's magic? Was it Lizzie's lack of it? Both girls were background-forbidden by the headmasters. Hope's way too powerful magic and the twins' _uniqueness_ , some less sentimental person would call it _freakness_ , were one of the whispered topics between the teachers.

When she was almost quitting the research, a book fell from the table open on a page that said **"** ** _when a feeling is required in casting a spell, it is important to remember that it can change the outcome slightly depending on the bond shared*"._** Angelina rolled her eyes, she already knew this. She was closing the book when she noticed the little *. She looked for the footnote and gasped when she read it. She read it again. _**"It is important to point**_ _ **out**_ ** _that shared parting spells, be it a simple object parting or a more complex personality or soul parting spell, depend on the level of the bond. If two fated souls try to part something, said something will mirror their bond and there will be no parting. Although it is rare, three or more souls could be also bound by fate, curse or spell."_**

_Bound by fate, curse or spell._

That was it, then. Lizzie and Hope were meant to be together in a far more complicated way than just an assignment. Was Josie also part of it? Angelina knew she was without even having to test it. There were way too many secrets surrounding the girls. What was the cause of the bond? Fate, curse or spell? If it was fate, that meant that there were higher forces taking control of those girls' lives. If it was a curse, then it meant that they're paying for others' sins. And if it's a spell, it means that someone needs them to be together in a deep strong way.

Angelina didn't know what to do with the information. Should she tell the headmasters? The fact that their daughters were twins from the Gemini Coven, _the dead Gemini_ _Coven_ , known by their weird rituals was already alarming and an off topic to them. But Angelina tried anyway. She wouldn't be a good teacher if she did nothing.

"Excuse me, doctor Saltzman, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yes, of course, miss Appleton."

"It's about the twins." Agelina noticed his face changing to a slight smile.

"Okay. Let me just-- There she is. Caroline!" So headmaster Caroline entered the office. "Miss Appleton want to talk about the twins."

"Did they siphoned some student without permission again? We're still working on that." Asked Caroline.

"No, not at all. The girls are amazing. I have Lizzie in Magic and Feelings and Josie in Introduction to Magical Plants this semester. I really like that they are taking different classes. They both are doing perfectly even apart."

"So what do you wanna talk about them if they're perfect?" Asked their mother, always so blunt and direct. Angelina almost laughed at Doctor Saltzman wincing at her.

"I want to talk about Hope and the twins." Angelina could feel the tension in the air at her words.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Said Doctor Saltzman.

"The girls are bound together. As in magically bound together." And she waited the surprise to cross their faces but it never did. Instead they exchanged a knowing glance.

"We know it. It's a curse. We'll not talk about it because it's not really of your concern and I say that not meaning to be rude." She sighed. "But it's my daughters' lives and Hope's and it should really be kept private. Saying that, I really wish you wouldn't talk to anyone about it. It is already rude enough that I have to hear some teachers making suppositions about them." Caroline said and Angelina felt her pain leaking through her words.

"I won't. I promise. Thank you for your time. I really hope the best for the girls."

This time it was Dr Saltzman sighing. "We know. You're a wonderful teacher and we trust you with them." She gave him a smile and left the room. There was nothing she could do.

"... And we planted our tree in the garden. That was our assignment and what we learned with it. Any of you has questions?" Angelina was snapped out of her mind by Lizzie's voice. Then Alyssa Chang raised her hand.

"I was wondering how was it like to work Friendship with Hope since you're not friends." Angelina almost rolled her eyes. Alyssa Chang were always this snarky when it came to Hope and the twins.

"I was also wondering how was it like working Empathy in your assignment and not really having any of it in real life?" Snarked Lizzie back and Angelina had to control herself not to laugh at it. Alyssa, on the other hand, laughed out loud as if she really liked that Lizzie answered her back. Lizzie was also smiling as if she loved having someone as clever as her to play with. They were children after all, they fought and they make amends as fast as they breathe. And Hope was looking really jealous at them.

Funny how adults think children don't have any problems, Angelina thought looking at them. Being a teacher, she had learned that children are actually clever than adults and they see things in perspective that grownups could never see.

* * *

"Lizzie, do you know where's the magical chess set?" Asked Josie. She had been looking for it all day.

"The one you did with Alyssa on class?"

"Yes." Josie really loved chess and this magical one she and Alyssa had made with their teacher was her favorite.

"She probably took it. I saw her in the game room this morning. She had that hateful smile on her face." Lizzie rolled her eyes. It was like Alyssa Chang had a warning bell for when the twins were having fun so she could come with her sweet little face and end it up.

"Oh, okay. I'll see if she left it in the game room." Said Josie already leaving the room when she noticed Lizzie's face.

"How was your presentation today?"

"It went perfectly fine. We got an A." Lizzie said sighing.

"And Hope?"

"She still doesn't want to be my friend." Lizzie noticed that Josie got a little upset but she thought it was because she also wanted to be Hope's friend and she also had been trying and failing.

"She's silly, you know. We're the best of friends she could ever find." Josie said winking at her and making Lizzie laugh.

"Yeah. She's the one missing it." Lizzie said confidently then. When her sister finally left the room Lizzie cried.

* * *

Josie, instead of going to look for her chess set, went to the library. She found that lonely spot that she loved empty. When she got comfortable and made sure no one was watching, she silently cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave your thoughts. I like when people share their opinions with me and give some ideas and heads-ups.


	6. Burglary, Addiction and Espionage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 5th grade Hope becomes a criminal and it is no one else's fault but Lizzie's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I really hope you like this one. I wish we got to see more of Hope with her family.

In 5th grade Hope Mikaelson became a thief. She liked to believe that most of her criminal behavior was Lizzie's fault and this time wasn't different. Hope looked at the little butterfly clip she stole from Lizzie hidden in her hand. She took a deep breath and went to her room. When she got there she felt something bubbling up in her throat. She tried to stop it at first but gave up when she noticed it was just a laugh. So Hope jumped in bed and laughed out loud.

She thought about the chain of events that led her to this moment.

* * *

The twins were different from other witches, everyone new that. What everyone didn't know was that they would take different learning projects because of it. They had to control the pain they caused by siphoning so they wouldn't hurt people. They also had to learn how to be a bridge between magic, how to let magic run through them without being affected by it and without taking any of it.

Hope knew about it, of course. Lizzie and Josie's mom was friends with Hope's aunts, Rebekah and Freya, and they told Hope everything about it. That a witch named Bonnie Bennett would help them with controlling the pain and shaping the magic into what they needed it to be. It was kind of hard to teach them because no one actually understood them. They were the only siphoners alive. They would struggle with siphoning because sometimes they would do it without even realizing it. Hope also didn't understand the pain part of it all. When the twins siphoned from her all she felt was joy and relief.

In 5th grade their project was to create siphon objects. They were supposed to work like a magic storage. Someone just needed to get the siphon object next to any source of magic, say some words and it would siphon the magic out. _It was painful_ , Hope was told by auntie Freya once. So it should only be used to siphon from inanimate things; never from someone. Not that Hope got that last part to heart. As soon as she found out about the siphon objects, she started to think of a way to get her hands on them. In her mind those objects would make her feel a bit of what being siphoned by the twins made her feel. It wasn't going to be difficult to steal some of them.

Lizzie and Josie got so good at making them that the school asked them to make some of those to keep in the infirmary as a way to treat little curse-tricks that some students would cast on others. After all, Salvatore was a school for witches, vampires and werewolves so it was impossible to keep the students from hexing others with warts, zits, purple hair or skin and sometimes even with horns and tails. Siphoning was an easier, cheaper and faster way to end the hexing. That was actually how the twins became so popular: students from 1st grade to senior year would come to ask them to lift light curses when they didn't want to get in trouble by going to the nurse's office.

Josie would do the lifting of the curse on the goodness of her heart alone but Lizzie's entrepreneurial personality made it a business by asking some weird things in return. Hope had heard some of the students that asked their help complaining that Lizzie asked their hair, nail, tears or even their fingerprint as payment. No one in the school knew what for but everyone always paid the price anyway. Hope was intrigued about Lizzie's demands. She knew, of course, that anything with someone's DNA could be used in a spell but she didn't think Lizzie wanted to cast a spell. There was more to it but Hope was not Lizzie's friend so she didn't have a way of find out.

What Hope had a way of doing, instead, was stealing one of Lizzie's siphon objects. Not Josie's. Only Lizzie's. That's how Hope became a burglar. She started to steal Lizzie's pens, coins or jewelry. But Hope wasn't fully committed in the crime's life so she would always give it back. Her plan was to steal the objects, use it to siphon a bit of her magic and find some relief and then drop it in some place Lizzie would surely find.

It wasn't even that good of a feeling. Using the siphon objects on herself felt like trying to scratch an itch that would never go away. Said itch only went away when the twins siphoned from her.

Hope continued to do this even though she knew Lizzie knew about it. Every time she returned an object and Lizzie found it she would say something purposely sharp when Hope was around.

_"Oh, look what I found! My bracelet. I thought I lost it."_

_"Josie, have you seen my green pen? I was sure I left it inside my book. Oh, look where I found it: in my backpack. How did it end up there?"_ Then she would look directly at Hope.

Hope was happy with this arrangement until Lizzie showed up in her dorm 2 in the morning.

"So you're a delinquent now, Mikaelson?" Asked Lizzie just entering her bedroom without knocking. She would've woke Hope up if she was asleep.

"What are you doing here, Lizzie? It's 2 am. You should be sleeping, don't you think?"

"So should you. But you're doing a lot of things you shouldn't right now. Stealing, drugs, espionage." Said Lizzie listing with her fingers. _Ugh, she really got on Hope's nerves._ Hope took a moment to even understand what Lizzie said.

"What are you talking about with drugs and espionage?" Hope shouted back at her too confused to even notice Lizzie's playful glare.

"You see, you've been stealing my siphon objects to use it on yourself as an addicted. I really thought you paid attention to the _Say No to Drugs, magical or not_ seminary." Hope could see that Lizzie was making fun of her but she couldn't for the life of her think of a clever comeback worthy of a Mikaelson Vs Saltzman War. "Not to talk about how you've taken up espionage."

"And how is that?" Asked Hoped because her brain was probably turned into mush.

"I mean- I know our family have history together even though I have no idea what. Of course I know my mom asks your auntie Freya help with school stuff and with _us_ stuff because she's some mighty powerful witch just like my auntie Bonnie. So I know she would know things. But imagine my surprise when I come to your room to talk to you about your recent behavior just to hear you asking her about our progress. Hence, espionage."

Hope only rolled her eyes because, really, Lizzie was so dramatic and the fact that it only made Hope like her more was super annoying.

"Anything to say in your defense?" Asked Lizzie sitting on Hope's bed and looking totally like the mean girl Lizzie was pretending to be right now. Hope knew better though.

"I don't know." Said Hope pausing a little for dramatic effect. She pretended to think about it. She was about to say something totally clever and sharp to get even with Lizzie when she thought about it and decided that what she was really interested in knowing was something else entirely. "Why? Why did you ask those weird things in return for lifting the curse?"

Thats seemed to take Lizzie's confidence and she looked away. "You can't do things for people for free or else they'll get used to it." Answered Lizzie looking at her nails and Hope knew she was lying. Lizzie got up from Hope's bed and walked towards the door.

"By the way, I'm not telling mom and dad about your stealing antics. If you wanted them so badly you could've asked. You know I would have given it to you." Lizzie looked at her with such yearning that Hope had to look away ashamed. She knew that the only thing Lizzie always wanted was to be her friend. When she looked back Lizzie was gone.

Hope spent the rest of the night thinking about how it was unfair that a 11 year old like her should be dealing with Lizzie Saltzman. When the clock indicated 7am of a saturday and Hope had nothing to do because she didn't have friends she just turned on her laptop on Netflix. Before she started to watch another cooking show, though, she called her mom on Skype.

"Hey, sweetie. I thought you would still be sleeping. It's 7am of a saturday."

"I would be but..." Hope thought about it and decided to tell her mom what was in her mind. "I would but Lizzie Saltzman's life wouldn't be complete if she didn't manage to annoy me into awakeness." Said Hope sighing.

"Oh." Hope watched as her mom called someone and a few seconds later auntie Freya was besides her.

"Hey, Hope. Are we talking about _her_ again?" Asked Freya with a knowing look.

"Yes." Answered Hope getting more annoyed by the second. "She's so weird. Do you believe she's been charging students to lift hexing?"

"Of course I believe. You can't just go on doing it for free." Said Freya.

"You can't take her side, aunt Freya." Said Hope exasperated. Hope's mom was doing a very poor job at pretending not to find it funny.

"Do you guys think this is funny? She's the absolute worst. She's too clever and she knows it what makes her way too smug for everyone's own good. She's a nerd- like she reads Harry Potter, Lord of Rings and Hobbit, watches Star Wars and Doctor Who and she definitely can name all the species featured on Star Trek. She's that kind of nerd but people never pick at her because of that. She's also the best quarterback of the middle school students. And and..." Hope didn't know what else to say because her family already heard her complain about the blonde twin way to much so she just growled. At this point her mom and aunt were almost purple from holding out laughter.

"Really, why do I even talk to you? I should've called aunt Rebekah. " Said Hope to what her mom said.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I understand you. We've all known people that get under our skin." She said with a sympathetic look.

"Exactly." Said her aunt. "Thinking about it, I can remember quite clearly someone that really got on my nerves like that."

"Oh, really? And what did you do to them?" Hope got excited. Maybe her aunt would shed some light on what to do.

"I kissed her and then I asked her to be my girlfriend." Said auntie Freya laughing and then Hope's mom started to laugh too and if Hope was paying attention she could hear Keelin's laugh in the back too. Nice, Hope's tragic school life was now a joke.

"Ew, disgusting, aunt Freya. I hate all of you. Bye." Said Hope blushing.

"Wait, Hope." Said her mom as Hope almost closed the laptop.

"What?"

"If Lizzie's being really mean I can talk to her mom about it, you know?"

"She's not mean. She's just really invested in-" Hope couldn't say _too invested in trying to be my friend_ because that wouldn only change the conversation to topics Hope didn't want to discuss. "She's too invested in anything she does. It's just annoying. You don't need to talk to her mom."

"What about Josie? Is she nice?"

"She's the nicest kid here. If they didn't scream to all four corners of the world that they are twins absolutely no one could guess. They're totally different. Josie is sweet and calm and smart. Lizzie's just way too aggressive and-" Nope notice she had changed the focus of the conversation back to Lizzie so she just interrupted herself. "Yeah, Josie's pretty amazing. Now I have to go. I just remembered that there's a football game today and the 5th grade had to volunteer to bring refreshments for the players."

"Oh, okay, sweetie. I'll call you later today then. Bye. I love you."

"I love you too, Hope. Make sure to bring the quarterbacks sandwiches too. They need to keep up the energy." Said aunt Freya smirking.

Hope only rolled her eye. "I love you guys too. Bye." But Hope noted in her mind to bring some sandwiches with her. One could never be too prepared.

* * *

Hope watched as Lizzie scored the winning point for her team. _Of course it would be her,_ Hope thought rolling her eyes. She had lied to her mom and aunt. She wasn't obligated to volunteer. She did it though because, well, this was the last game of the season and Lizzie had spent the whole season trying to get Hope to watch it. Hope would never admit it out loud.

When Hope decided to leave, the coach asked her help to bring the towels the used towels to the locker room. She was a sweet person and Hope couldn't say no. When they got to the there and Hope put down the towels she had a glimpse of something shining inside one of the lockers. Hope opened and saw a butterfly clip inside. Before she could even understand what she was doing, her hands worked faster and took it. She heard voices coming in so she just went to a corner and said the words of a invisibility spell. She waited for all of them to leave before moving. When she was finally getting out she heard the twins talking just outside.

_"Josie, if anyone asks you to lift a curse anymore, don't do it. Or do it. Just- don't ask for anything else in return."_

_"What about your plan of, and I quote you on this, 'getting Hope to notice us by having the whole school wrapped around our fingers?"_

_"Forget that plan. She already noticed us. She just prefers_ _to ignore it." Said Lizzie sighing._

_"Okay then. I guess we can get rid of all that weird stuff you asked. Really, nails? Was that really necessary?" Said Josie laughing._

_"It had to be weird enough for the school to talk about it." Said Lizzie exasperated._

Then Hope heard them leaving. If Hope heard right, Lizzie had done all of that to get her attention. Just for Hope to be her friend.

When she got to her room and laughed it out of her system, she felt as if she was in the clouds. She was so taken aback by the new information that she almost didnt hear mom calling. She answered her.

"Hey, mom."

"Hey, Hope. Your humor seems to be way better than this morning."

"Yeah. It seems. Someone reminded me today how good it is to be cared about. That made me really happy."

"Was it any of your friends that said something nice to you?"

"Better. They did something nice without me knowing about. That was nice. Really really nice."

And it was nice to know that Lizzie Saltzman, the Lizzie Saltzman that was good at sports and nerd and totally aggressive in a way that made Hope's aggressiveness jump up, liked her. It was amazing actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave comments. It really inspires me.


	7. One Day I Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie and Josie find the Old Mill. Hope thinks about what her mother said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time. I'm so sorry. I love this chapter because Hizzie friendship is the purest thing in the world. Fight me for it.
> 
> I hope you love it (or at least like it) 
> 
> Lizzie's 11 and Hope's 13 so you know Josie's fire and Lizzie's first episode are coming. It'll be sad for everyone so enjoy those last moments of hapiness.

Lizzie Saltzman did not like Hope Mikaelson. Like at all, thought Lizzie carrying the body to the woods. Lizzie Saltzman also didn't like herself very much as of this moment. She was a murderer. A cold-blooded killer. How could anyone like her? She didn't mean to kill it, though. The stupid thing was fragile. Why do people get hamsters as a pet? They die so easily that it’s almost a joke. Lizzie kneeled and, with the little gardening shovel she brought, she started to dig a little hole in the ground. When it was deep enough, she dropped the box with the dead thing inside filled the hole with some gardening soil and a little plant she took from the school. She was only in Hope’s room because she wanted to hide a candy for her to find later. Hope would always smile a little bit brighter when she found the treat Lizzie left for her. Instead she would be the cause Hope would be sad today.

“Well, bye, hamster. I don’t know your name but…” Lizzie looked around. She was really having a funeral for the dead pet. She rolled her eyes. “but you were important for Hope and I really wish I hadn’t smashed your head with my shoes. I hope you understand that it was Hope’s fault for leaving you out of your cage.” Lizzie nodded in approbation. It was a good speech.

“Lizzie, what are you doing here?” Lizzie looked at her sister behind her in panic. Josie had scared the hell out of her.

“I was just- I was just…” Lizzie started to stumble with her words, so she said the first thing that came to mind. “I was just enjoying a little alone time.” Josie looked at her suspiciously.

“With a shovel?” Lizzie’s mind worked faster this time.

“I was doing some gardening.” Faster, but not efficiently, thought Lizzie internally kicking herself.

“In the middle of the woods?” Josie narrowed her eyes.

“What better place to plant something?” Said Lizzie standing up and showing the little lavender she had planted over the body. Josie looked at it and then at Lizzie.

“Why were you talking to it?” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“Really, Josie? What is it with all the questions? I was talking to it because the gardening teacher said that talking to a plant helps it grow faster.” She schooled Josie just like their teacher had said to them.

“Okay.” Said Josie mildly satisfied. She looked around. “You know dad told us not to wander around the woods.”

“I know. I was just going back to the school.” Lizzie went to her sister giving her an innocent smile and started to walk back to the school. That’s when she felt something magic in the air. “Are you feeling it, Josie?”

“Yes. A source of magic somewhere close.” Lizzie nodded and they followed the magic. Being a siphoner meant being pulled by it until you finally siphon it.

“Let’s find it.” Said Lizzie with anticipation. She took Josie’s hand and let the magic guide them until the finally found an old house.

“What is it?” Josie asked with excitement. “Do you think mom and dad know about it?”

“I think it’s a mill.” Said Lizzie looking around. “Definitely a mill. Remember back in Mystic Falls History when the teacher said rich people used to have mills where their slaves would grind grain to make flour? I don’t think mom and dad know. They would have destroyed it back when they were building the school. This is so cool.” Lizzie screamed excited.

“It won’t be so cool when mom and dad ground us for walking in the woods.” Said Josie.

“Of course it will. This is worth being grounded, Jo. This is our spot.” Lizzie looked at Josie with mischief in her eyes.

“What do you mean our spot?”

“Well, right now we’re eleven so I can forgive you for not thinking so far ahead. Now picture what I’ll say to you. Poor bored teenagers looking for a place to go and complain about school and hook up and even make out.” Said Lizzie raising one eyebrow. “They have nowhere to go… until we save their hopeless asses and show them the… the…” Lizzie looked around thinking, her face lighting up when she had a name. “… and show them The Old Mill. Ah, we’re going to be national heroes, Jo.” Lizzie could already see it. Her sister didn’t look so excited about it. “Don’t say something pessimistic, Jo.”

“Don’t even think about it, Lizzie. The headmaster is our dad. We have to establish a precedent for the other students to follow. Throw parties in the middle of the woods is not what we want. Believe me.” Said Josie making Lizzie roll her eyes.

“You’re so boring sometimes. Can we just not tell mom and dad? It’s going to be a twins’ secret.” Said Lizzie knowing that when time came, they would totally throw parties in the middle of the woods. By the way Josie narrowed her eyes, she also knew that. Lizzie watched as Josie rolled her eyes with a little smile.

“Okay, Lizzie. It’s a secret.”

They came back to the school and Josie went to the library. Lizzie wanted to go with her, but _her magic was itching_ , and she had to go check why. She walked till Hope’s door. There were no one else in the hallway and Lizzie thought about knocking and trying to get Hope to talk to her again. She had just decided against it when Hope opened her door.

“Hey, Lizzie.”

“Hope.” Lizzie didn’t know what to do then. She had to pretend to have a reason to be there. “I was wondering if you wanted to see what I just found in the middle of the woods.” Lizzie kicked herself internally for the second time this day. So much for twins’ secrecy. Hope looked at her, opened her mouth to say no like almost all the timed Lizzie asked her to hang out.

“I do.” And that was a surprise for both Lizzie and Hope, if her confused look meant something.

“Okay. Let’s go then.” Lizzie said smiling. They walked slowly; Lizzie sometimes glancing at Hope. She knew Hope wanted to ask something. She could feel it.

“What, Hope?”

“My hamster ran away.”

“Oh, really? Did you, I don’t know, left it out of its cage?” Lizzie tried looking everywhere but at Hope. Lizzie knew she wasn’t good at lying.

“Yeah, actually. It’s my fault the he ran. I should have locked him before going to class.”

“Yes, you should have.” Lizzie said earning a sad confused look from Hope. “I mean- there wasn’t much you could have done. We had a hamster when we were four, Josie and I, and one day we left it out of its cage and dad said he ran away too. It’s really normal.” Said Lizzie trying to cheer Hope up and forget about the whole stepping on the hamster’s head and smashing it.

“Are you sure your hamster didn’t just die and your dad lied to you?” Said Hope.

“I-” Lizzie thought about it. She gasped. “My hamster died! Why would you break my heart like that, Hope? I would rather think he ran away.” Said Lizzie feigning hurt, hand to her heart. The result was fast. Lizzie saw Hope’s lips forming a smile. Lizzie’s belly started to do funny things at it. She looked away; her own lips forming a smile.

* * *

Hope looked at Lizzie’s blushed face looking away. She knew Lizzie had something to do with Hope’s hamster disappearing. Lizzie probably got into Hope’s room to hide a candy as she always did and left the door open for it to run away. Hope wasn’t mad at her, though. How could she ever be mad at Lizzie? She was so sweet and funny and even after six years since Hope first came to the school, Lizzie was still trying to be her friend. Lizzie reminded Hope of her family. She was as snarky as auntie Rebekah and as clever as aunt Freya. She was also annoying and teasing like uncle Kol. Every time Hope looked at her, she could notice something new. Hope also noticed things that were all Lizzie’s. She noticed that Lizzie loved reading and that she didn’t just read, she studied the books. She had sticky notes and pens in all colors Hope could imagine and she knew that Lizzie had a labelling system for the colors. Lizzie also wore glasses when she was reading at night and she was tired. She was funny and way too sarcastic for an eleven years old but she was never mean. That was Hope’s favorite thing. Even with Alyssa. Lizzie would always level up to people, she would never lose a fight and she always had clever comebacks, but she was _never_ mean. Hope liked that. There were also the small things Lizzie did without people realizing. Hope, though, payed enough attention to notice that Lizzie would break into her room and hide candies so Hope could find. She noticed that Lizzie kept a notebook with the names of the new students and what they liked to do and then, out of nowhere, a new sewing club or a ping-pong team would be created at the school. Hope also loved how Lizzie would sometimes, without telling anyone, go tell a story to the primary kids and comfort a child that missed home.

 _“You always should look for the things people say and do when no one else is looking_.” Hope’s mom said when Hope asked how she could be sure someone was good. And without noticing, Hope started to do that with the twins. She noticed that when Lizzie was angry, Josie would take her hand. That Josie loved magic with her whole heart and sometimes her eyes would shine when she cast a spell right. She watched that the twins’ mom loved every single student as if they were hers. She would kiss the little ones and give advises to the older ones. But the someone Hope watched the most was Lizzie. She loved doing it. Like right now, while they were walking in the woods. Lizzie was playing with her hands and Hope knew it was because her magic was asking her to siphon from Hope. Lizzie, seeming to sense Hope’s stare, looked back at her and raised one eyebrow. Hope also liked that. Some people would look away, but not Lizzie. Hope smiled and Lizzie smiled back. They walked a little more until a house appeared.

“I found it earlier today with Josie. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Lizzie babbled making Hope laugh.

“It’s amazing.”

“And I told Josie to not tell mom and dad so you can’t either.” Said Lizzie serious and Hope held her laugh. It was funny how she would catch herself doing it with Lizzie. Sometimes she would wish one day she could just laugh freely, and Lizzie laugh back with her.

“I won’t. Thank you for showing it to me.” Lizzie just nodded and Hope watched as Lizzie looked around as if she was seeing it again for the first time. She would do that sometimes: look at things with so much wonder and excitement that it was like she had never seen it before.

“Let’s go back before we get caught.” Lizzie said and they started to go back to the school. They walked back and Hope noticed Lizzie glancing at her and trying to hide her smile.

“What?” Hope asked curious as they were arriving on the school’s gardens.

“You always try to keep me at safe distance, but it never takes too long till you let me in again.” Lizzie said, words way too old for a child to say, Hope thought, then she smiled because what she thought was also way to old for a thirteen years old to think.

“Do you ever wonder if someday I’ll let you in and never let you out?” Hope said looking at the ground because that’s what she wanted. She wanted to let people in. Not just Lizzie, but Josie and the teachers and the other kids. But she was too scared of them getting out, so she didn’t even try. Her mind always told her it was better for everyone. Hope felt Lizzie’s hand touching Hope’s lightly just to get her attention. Hope looked into Lizzie’s eyes, so trusting and happy.

“I know one day you will.” She said so sure and smiled so brightly that Hope believed her. _One day,_ she thought as she watched Lizzie wave her goodbye and go back to the school, blonde hair floating behind her as she ran.

“One day I will.” Hope whispered to the wind and just before Lizzie entered the school, she looked back and for some reason Hope was sure she had listened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like it? I love to write hizzie being friends and soft. This dynamic will change soon, though. I've been building Hope and Lizzie getting used to this dynamic since they were little kids just so I could screw it very badly when The Fire happened. Don't be angry at me or at Josie. She'll be the one leading next chapter. I love her so much and I KNOW she didn't mean the heartbreak that followed.


	8. Jealousy and Burning Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie watches Lizzie and Hope and fights her feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this chapter is sad. Really really sad.
> 
> I tried to convey Josie's feelings and be true to her character. I love her so much and I hope this chapter makes her struggles feel real and hurtful.

Josie Saltzman didn’t like being left out. She hated the feeling in all honesty. It was like fire in her throat. It would burn and burn and take out Josie’s voice. Suddenly, she couldn’t speak anymore and no one would notice her. That’s how she felt watching Lizzie and Hope coming from the woods together. She watched as Hope says something to Lizzie and Lizzie tells Hope something that makes her look to the ground. She feels the burning fire again when she sees Lizzie touch Hope’s hand. Josie looks at her own hand, the place where her sister touched Hope burning in Josie’s hand. She looked back at Lizzie as she said something with that big smile that she kept for books, pretty dresses and her family; the one she kept for the things she loved. The one she sometimes would give Hope. What burned her more, though, was Hope’s face when Lizzie finally left. Happiness. Josie had never seen Hope that happy. Whatever Lizzie said made Hope smile that way, and at Hope’s sweet smile, Josie’s heart skipped a beat making Josie shake her head. This was stupid. It didn’t matter, any of it.

Josie was always better than her sister with feelings. Lizzie was always true to her feelings, she always told the truth without thinking twice, she always went for what she wanted. Josie was more sensitive. She would sometimes pretend to like something to make someone happy, she would never tell the truth if it would hurt someone, and sometimes she wouldn’t go for what she wanted if her sister wanted that too. Josie liked to think that it was because she loved her sister so much that it didn’t matter if Lizzie decided to pair up for an assignment with someone Josie wanted. It wouldn’t matter if Lizzie asked someone to a sleepover because they shared the room, so what does it matter if Lizzie was the one asking? Sometimes, however, a little nasty voice inside Josie would tell her that she didn’t even fight because she knew she would lose anyway. She always brushed away the voice even if she felt it getting louder day after day. But it didn’t matter, she remembered herself. Hope… Hope was hurt.

Josie noticed it along the years. It didn’t matter that Lizzie and Josie tried to be friends with her. It didn’t matter the candies that Lizzie hid in Hope’s room or the notes for class that Josie would sometimes give her. It didn’t matter that the whole school loved the twins and the twins loved Hope. The fact that Hope was hurt was bigger than anything and Hope would never be close to them if she didn’t trust closeness. Lizzie didn’t understand because Lizzie was a child yet. Josie smiled at the thought. Lizzie was also eleven, the same age as Josie but the gap between them was huge. She watched Lizzie coming to her.

“Jo, please don’t kill me.” Lizzie started and Josie knew what she would say. She got amazed at her sister again because Lizzie would just tell her that she had been with Hope. “I showed Hope The Old Mill.”

“Why?”

“Because I killed her hamster and she was sad, and I wanted to cheer her up.” Of course Lizzie would give Josie even more details than she expected.

“How did you kill her hamster?” Josie asked shocked.

“I went to her room and she had left it out of its cage and I accidently…” She watched as Lizzie looked around and whispered to her. “… stepped on it and killed him.” Lizzie said as if she was the worst kind of human being. “I tried a healing spell, but it didn’t work and when you found me in the woods I had just buried it.” Lizzie looked at her with tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay, Lizzie. You didn’t mean to. That’s what matters.” And when Lizzie nodded and hugged her, Josie told herself that it didn’t matter because Lizzie hadn't meant it. Just like she didn’t mean to steal Josie’s partner in English or Josie’s part at the summer play. It didn’t matter.

* * *

It mattered. This time would matter because it was about Hope. Since the day in the garden two years ago, Hope had been more open. She was still working on it, but Josie could notice that she was talking more to other students, she was smiling a little bit brighter and sometimes she would even laugh. It would usually be at something Josie would say or at Lizzie being Lizzie. Those two occasions would cause different reactions in Josie. The first would make her dizzy and her belly would do funny jumps. The second, though, would make the Burning Fire consume her for a while until she managed to put it down. It was getting harder. She knew the reason: she liked Hope. Hope, with her hidden smile and her secret heart. She liked her. And she knew Lizzie also liked her, even though Lizzie didn’t know.

She looked at Lizzie putting her clothes in the bag. Finally, Spring Break had come and Lizzie was excited to the family trip tomorrow. She was babbling as she would do sometimes. Lizzie didn’t know she liked Hope because she just liked Hope like a child likes another. She liked innocently and softly and brightly and hopefully. Josie liked different. She liked secretly and darkly and fearfully. She wished that, for once, she liked like Lizzie did so Hope would like her back. That little voice inside her head was louder today and screaming at her that Hope would like bright, smart, snarky, outspoken and funny Lizzie. That’s what everyone liked. She wished, for once, that Lizzie would notice and step back. But Lizzie was too honest to expect anything different from anyone else, especially Josie.

“I was talking to you, Josie. Why aren’t you paying attention?” Josie snapped away from her thoughts.

“What?”

“I asked if you’re excited for the trip. You don’t look excited.” _Oh, you noticed?_ The questions popped in Josie’s mind and it was a mean one, so she threw it in the place she always discarded mean comments.

“I was just thinking if Hope was going to spend Spring Break here.” Josie said because she wanted Lizzie to know she was thinking about Hope.

“Oh, she won’t. Her mom will pick her up and take her back to New Orleans.” Lizzie said not finding anything to be worried in Josie’s comment. Josie felt her throat burning. How could Lizzie be so oblivious? How couldn’t she notice Josie’s feelings towards Hope when Josie could practically feel Lizzie’s burning in her chest? Lizzie said good night and went to sleep. A few minutes later she was already snoring. No worries to leave her woken up like Josie had. It was unfair that Lizzie got to have it easy when Josie had to fight for it. And since Josie wasn’t fighting, she wouldn’t get. But not this time, she decided as she took her journal and a pen. After finishing the letter her chest was lighter. She ripped the paper and folded neatly. She put it under her pillow and went to sleep. Sleep came easy tonight and the dreams were bright and sunny.

When she woke up, Lizzie was already up. She was sitting on her bed with tired eyes. Something was different. Josie looked at Lizzie and something in her felt familiar for one second before it disappeared and Josie ignored. It was nothing. Josie found an excuse to leave her room and went to Hope’s, watching as the girl left for breakfast. Josie took a deep breath and went to her door. She looked around. There was no one in the hallway. She kneeled to the ground and slipped the letter under the door. As soon as she did it, her heart started to beat frenetically. No, she shouldn’t have done it. Hope didn’t like her. She was making a fool of herself. Josie panicked.

“ _Incendia_.” She whispered, mentally focusing in the letter. Her mind, however, wasn’t sharp today and the spell grew out of proportion and Josie watched in fear as the fire under the door grew. She looked around and ran. Ran away from it. Ran away like she always did. She ran to the bathroom and cleaned her face. She sat and cried and then stood up and washed her face again. She went to her room and found Lizzie there. Lizzie didn’t notice that she was disturbed. _Lizzie never noticed_ , she thought bitter. But she had a reason this time. Lizzie was crying.

“What is it, Lizzie?”

“I don’t know. My heart is hurting.” Lizzie said sobbing and Josie didn’t know what to do. “Mom said our trip got cancelled because Hope’s dorm was on fire. But they already put it down. But still hurts. My mind too. Josie, help me.” Lizzie said crying and shaking her head. Josie had never seen her like this. Josie watched in shock as Lizzie cried and the lights started to blink. Then things started to move and Josie wanted to move, but she was too stunned to do anything. She watched in horror as objects started to fly across the room. They would sometimes hit Lizzie and hurt her and Josie could see the blood. Josie could feel it like a ghost pain on her skin. She wanted to do something. To scream for her mom or dad to come or to run away, but she was glued to her place. She only left her stupor when she felt arms around her picking her up. She didn’t even know who, but she hugged and closed her eyes and wished it was only just a dream. She eventually felt so exhausted that she fell asleep.

“Hey, sweetheart. That’s okay. That’s okay.” Her dad said as she was waking up. She looked around; her room already cleaned up.

“Where’s Lizzie, dad?”

“She’s sick and your mom took her away to get help.” Her dad said tired.

“What does she have?”

“I don’t know yet, sweetheart, but we’re going to find out and she’ll come back, okay?” Josie nodded and her dad hugged her and she wanted to cry but she couldn’t. When her dad left her room, though, Josie cried because she knew it was her fault. She thought about the Twin Connection. Sometimes, when one of the twins would get hurt the other would feel it. Josie thought about it. If they could feel things that happened to their bodies, it made sense that they could also feel what happened to their hearts. That would be the explanation to Josie’s aching heart right now. That would also explain why Lizzie had snapped. It was Josie’s fault. She felt too much that it leaked through the twins’ bond and made Lizzie feel it. And Lizzie couldn’t handle because those feelings weren’t meant for someone as bright and innocent as Lizzie. It was meant for Josie’s fire. And since Lizzie wasn’t strong enough, she burned to ashes in the fire that her sister had lit. Josie tried to rationalize that it didn’t make sense, that it was just her mind finding a way to blame her, but deep down she knew it was true. Her sister was sick because of her. And if Lizzie never got better, it would also be Josie’s fault.

Lizzie spent one month away. Not that Josie noticed. The only thing indicating time was the clock and the coming and going of the sun. Josie was numb. Without her sister she was nothing. People were looking weirdly at her, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything but Lizzie. So, when her father told her that Lizzie would be coming back, Josie felt for the first time in weeks. She organized their room, made their bed and stole Lizzie’s favorite snacks from the kitchen. She waited anxiously in their room, every tick of the clock making her jump until the door finally opened and Lizzie entered. Josie expected her to come running, loud and wild. After all, her dad had said that she was better. What Josie found, though, was someone new. Not her sister. Josie took a deep breath and walked towards her.

“Hey, Lizzie.” She said hugging her. Lizzie hugged her back, but it wasn’t as tight as she usually did.

“Hey, Jo.” Said Lizzie and her voice wasn’t as loud as it usually was. Their mom and dad also hugged Josie and Lizzie, talked to them a bit and then left the room. It was weird. Lizzie was weird.

“How are you?” Josie asked and she knew it was the wrong question when her sister flinched.

“Fine.” Lizzie said sadly. And it was wrong because Lizzie never said things sadly like that. Josie opened her mouth and then closed because she didn’t know what to say. “What happened after I left?” Lizzie asked even lower. Josie thought about it.

“Dad fixed Hope’s room and then her mom came and took her to New Orleans and she just came back last week.” And Josie didn’t know why she talked about Hope. Maybe because she wanted Lizzie back. The Lizzie that would start to make plans to win Hope’s friendship. The Lizzie that would at least smile at the mention of Hope. This Lizzie, though, didn’t. The contrary happened. This Lizzie recoiled at the mention of Hope. This Lizzie looked away and did the thing the old Lizzie would never do.

“I don’t really wanna talk about Hope.”

“Why?” And Josie didn’t understand why not. After all, Josie had started all this mess because both Lizzie and Josie couldn’t stop talking and thinking about Hope, even if in different ways.

“Why do you wanna talk about her? It’s like you’re obsessed with her.” Lizzie said looking at Josie with so much hurt that it made Josie think about a History teacher that said that back in the days where medicine was still developing, some animal doctors would just kill the animal if it was in a lot of pain and the doctor didn’t know how to help it. So what Josie did next was just it. She killed this Lizzie. This hurt and broken Lizzie that Josie didn't quite know.

“How could I be so obsessed with someone that would say such mean things about my twin?” And it was out of love that Josie did it. It was out of love, not jealousy, because she didn’t feel good. She felt like dying just as she was killing her sister.

“What do you- what do you mean?” Lizzie asked and Josie felt the pain of having to lie.

“Did you hear the whispers when you came?” Josie asked because she knew Lizzie would hear the whispers. Lizzie nodded.

“When I entered the school, I heard people whispering and looking at me. As much as mom tried to avoid it, she couldn’t.” Josie nodded. “What are they saying?”

“Mean things.” Josie said because it was true. People were talking about how Lizzie had destroyed the room and broken all the lamps of their floor. They also watched as Caroline took Lizzie away and Alaric took Josie to the infirmary. Both girls passed out. It was bound to have people gossiping about it.

“Is it... Hope’s fault?” Lizzie asked with hurt eyes. Eyes pleading for Josie not to kill her. Josie thought about it. Maybe this little hope in Lizzie’s eyes could grow and Josie would have her sister back. She almost said no. But then that little voice talked to her again, and she knew she shouldn’t listen to it because that voice was what caused all of it to begin with. The voice screamed for her to say yes. And Josie was weak, so she gave in.

“Yes.” So Josie watched as her sister died and she wanted to believe that she did it out of love for her sister. But the voice laughed at her and said what Josie already knew: It was out of jealousy.

* * *

Josie watched in disbelief as Lizzie changed right in front of her. She watched as she wasn’t honest anymore; too afraid of people not liking her for it. She watched her hurting people before they could have the chance to hurt her. She watched her hiding what she liked so deep that she started to hate it. But the worst of it was watching her hurt Hope, beat her repeatedly with cruel words born in the fire of Josie’s jealousy. She watched as Hope retracted even more not understanding what was happening. She watched as Lizzie took Josie’s voice away too. Before, Josie’s voice was hidden because she didn’t want to raise it. Now it was being kept into Lizzie’s insecure heart. Lizzie was never insecure. But now she would keep Josie close, keep Josie hers. And Josie let her. Because it was her fault. It was her doing. And because of it, Hope was hurting alone in her room and Lizzie was hurting so loud that everyone would be hurting with her. So Josie accepted the hurt because she deserved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you thought, please. I was really worried about writing her being careful to show hoe much she loves her sister and how she was hurting because I believe she spent all those years blaming herself even if she blames Lizzie a lot for not being a good sister.


	9. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline notices some changes in her daughters and Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everybody. This is finally the last Past Chapter. Next chapter we'll be on present exactly how things are on Legacies right now. Then I'll start to change things. I can't wait.

“As if Hope could be anything other than angsty.” Lizzie whispered in a way that everyone could hear. Some students started to laugh. Hope pretended not to hear and just continued walking to her dorm. When she got there, she closed the door and fell to the ground, not for the first time wondering what happened with the girl she used to know. The Lizzie she liked. Hope stood up and went to her bed saying a spell that made a little box appear on the nightstand. She took it and opened. Inside, she found all the things she kept over the years: Josie’s notes with her perfect letter, her family’s letters, Lizzie’s butterfly clip, the little leaf that fell from the Tree Spell they had made when they were younger, the book Lizzie gave her. A lot of things that made Hope Hope. She started to pick everything that was Lizzie’s. The clip, the leaf, the book, letters, pens. She took it and put it inside another box. She should’ve done it sooner but some stupid part of her was waiting for Lizzie to simply go back to _being Lizzie_. Because that wasn’t her. It couldn’t be. Lizzie was funny and sweet and so free. Now every time Hope looked at her, she only saw bitterness and malice. It was scary. Hope walked down the garden; towards the place _their tree_ was. Over they years, Hope would always take care of it. She would see Lizzie doing it too. But after the fire in Hope’s dorm a few months ago, they had never come back. At least not Hope and if Lizzie’s mean words meant something, she didn’t come back either. Hope looked at the tree, green and beautiful and for the first time wondered if they cast the spell correctly. Because this tree was supposed to represent their bond and their bond was inexistent right now. The tree should be dead.

“That’s the prettiest tree in the whole school. I always thought it had a magical aura surrounding it. Don’t you agree?” Said the headmistress of the school behind Hope and almost making her jump.

“Oh, hey, mis-”

“Just Caroline, Hope.” As if Hope was going to call her just Caroline. “Don’t you agree?” She repeated the question. Hope looked back at the tree.

“I used to think that too, but now I think it’s just a tree.”

“Oh, but there was magic in there once?” She asked and Hope only nodded. “What happened?” And Hope knew it was about way more than just the tree now. Hope shrugged.

“Maybe the magic ran out.” She said looking at the tree and then watching the headmistress nod.

“Were you here to bury something?” She asked pointing to the box and the little shovel on Hope’s hands. Hope panicked. She opened her mouth and then closed, not knowing what to say. “Let me help you.” Caroline said taking the shovel from Hope. “Where?”

“By the tree. Between its roots.” She said kneeling next to her.

“I used to do this too, you know? When I was little, my best friend and I had this huge fight so I stole her teddy bear and buried in the woods so she wouldn’t it. I left M&Ms so I could find it later but when I came back, the M&Ms were gone and I only found it years later.” Caroline said with a little smile. She finally finished digging a hole and looked at Hope. Hope rushed to put the box inside, but she was so nervous that she dropped it. The box opened, its content falling out of it to the ground. Hope looked at Caroline, knowing that she would surely recognize Lizzie’s handwriting on the letters, Lizzie’s things. If she did, she didn’t show, because she only helped Hope to put the things back in the box and inside the hole. When they finished, Hope looked at her.

“Thank you.” And the woman only nodded. They walked back to the school in silence. Just before they parted ways, though, she looked at Hope with something Hope didn’t recognize in her eyes.

“Maybe the magic did run out, but it’s a good thing that you’re a witch, right? Because if you want to, you can make it even more magical than before.” She said raising one eyebrow and winking at Hope. If only was that easy, Hope thought going back to her dorm.

* * *

Lizzie was sitting on her bed, her laptop on her lap, doing homework when someone knocked on her door and then entered.

“Hey, girls.”

“Hey, mom.” Lizzie and Josie said in unison. Her mom looked at Josie.

“Hey, baby, I want to talk to your sister for a moment.” Josie only nodded and left their room. Their mom had this habit of talking to them individually. She used to say that she learned that tactic with her cop mom. _Always talk to the suspects separately because you’ll get more answers like that._ “Hey, Lizzie.”

“I’m okay, mom.” Lizzie said already knowing where this was going. After _the episode_ , her family had been treating her with baby gloves.

“Hmm, okay. I wasn’t going to ask you that.” Her mom said looking around. “Do you remember that book Bonnie gave you when you were little? What was the name again?”

“The Giving Tree.” Lizzie said. “Why?”

“You hated that story when you were little.” Her mom said smiling.

“The boy was selfish and the tree was stupid. What was it to like?” Lizzie said bitter, remembering that Hope loved that stupid book. That Lizzie gave her the book and that Hope looked so happy. Lizzie brushed the hurting memories away.

“That’s a very cynical point of view, don’t you think?” Her mom asked softly.

“No, I don’t.” Her mom looked at her and then nodded.

“What happened, Lizzie?” Her mom asked.

“What happened with what?”

“You and Hope.” Lizzie looked away then.

“Nothing happened. That’s what she always wanted, right?” Lizzie said, cold voice. She remembered all those years making plans to get Hope. All the times she sneaked into Hope’s dorm to hide something sweet, the letters and all the stupid little gifts she would give Hope desperately for her to just accept to be her friend. How it all meant nothing for Hope. How Lizzie was left hurt in the end.

“I don’t think that-”

“Mom, I don’t really care.” Lizzie said interrupting her mom anxious to finish this talk. She couldn't even breath normally when Hope was the subject of the talk. But she have been learning how to lock it all so deep that one day it won't matter.

“I’m going to pretend you don’t because you don’t wanna talk about it and I respect your wish.” Her mom said kissing her forehead and standing up. When she was opening the door, she turned back at Lizzie. “You know, Lizzie, in my experience, people are so much more than they let you see.”

“In my experience too. But it’s not always good.” Lizzie said when her mom left the room. She knew her mom had listened, though.

* * *

Caroline walked out of her daughter’s dorm with weight on her heart. Lizzie changed so much since that day. It wasn’t just because of the episode and the doctors and having to stay away for some time. Caroline knew something happened between her daughters and Hope. Mostly between Lizzie and Hope. When she saw Hope burying Lizzie’s over the years attempts at friendship, Caroline knew that the girl was hurt. She pretended not to recognize Lizzie’s letters, Lizzie’s favorite hair clip or the other little things that Hope had been gifted by Lizzie. It was sweet that Hope had kept it, but for her to be burying it meant that something happened. Also, the way Hope talked about the tree with sadness and hurt. Caroline knew that that tree was their Magic and Feelings project when they were little. Hope’s behavior added to Lizzie’s was a proof to something wrong.

“Hey, baby.” Caroline said to Josie, sitting next to her in the library.

“Hey, mom.” Josie said. “Is Lizzie okay?” She asked concerned.

“She is. No need to worry. I was wondering something, though.” Caroline watched her daughter carefully. Lizzie was always easier to read than Josie. If Lizzie was sad or mad or worried, anyone could notice. Josie, however, needed an extra attention.

“What?”

“What happened between you, Lizzie and Hope?” Caroline watched as her daughter didn’t even flinch before lying.

“Nothing happened.” Caroline must’ve been a terrible mother if her daughter learned how to lie so well. She was just thirteen.

“Lizzie told me the same. But I don’t believe you.” Caroline poked the wound. Because she was sure there was a wound.

“Why?” Josie said frowning.

“Because you two are my daughters and I know you. I also saw Hope today and she looked very hurt.”

“Maybe she finally realized that she should’ve been doing a little effort to get some friends. Now she doesn’t have any.” Josie said shrugging. Lizzie’s words, Caroline realized. Because that’s what Lizzie has been saying lately when Alaric asked the girls to try to be friends with Hope. She looked into her daughter’s eyes trying to see what was wrong, but it was like looking at a peaceful lake.

“Does is mean that she lost all her chances?” Caroline asked softly.

“I don’t know, but she doesn’t look like she cares.” Caroline only nodded and stood up to leave. Before she did leave, she looked at her daughter and said the same thing she had said to Lizzie.

“You know, Josie, in my experience, people are so much more than they look like.” She waited for Josie’s answer.

“They always are.” Josie said also standing up and leaving.

Caroline thought about both her daughters’ replies. She wished they would tell her what happened so she could solve it. Caroline was great at solving things. She wanted to do this last thing before leaving the girls for a while. After what happened to Lizzie and how Josie also passed out and how both girls changed so much after that, Alaric and Caroline decided that it was finally time to start to look the solution to the merge around the world. They had spent the last thirteen years reading books and spells and trying to understand what would happen to the girls if they just decided that they wouldn’t do the merge. But it was a curse and like all curses, it would find a way to take the girls. It was time to look for some covens and try to talk with some witches and Caroline was the best choice being a vampire and all. She didn’t want to leave the twins, but she was going to save their life. She just really wished she didn’t have to leave them just right now when they looked so hurt. She walked around the school until she heard a voice that made her stop. It was Hope’s voice. Sometimes vamp hearing would bless her or curse her with hearing too much.

 _“Hey, mom… yes, I’m fine.”_ Hope was talking to her mom on the phone _. “Oh, hey, aunt Freya. No, I’m fine. It’s true. I don’t really wanna talk about the twins.”_ Hope said sharp. Caroline frowned. _“No, I didn’t. She hates me, okay?”_ Caroline somehow knew that Hope was talking about Lizzie. Hope couldn’t be more wrong about Lizzie hating her, though. _“I just don’t feel like talking about Queen of Mean, Lizzie, and her loyal follower, princess Josie, right now, so…”_ Caroline was shocked. She knew, of course, that her daughters were a bit difficult, especially in the last months, but Hope calling Lizzie Queen of Mean and Josie her follower? Caroline knew her daughters that much to know that Lizzie’s behavior was to protect herself from hurt, just like Caroline would, and Josie was never one to follow. It’s funny how people don’t seem to see what’s underneath.

If what Hope said was truly happening, though, it surely meant trouble because eventually Josie would snap at being the follower and Lizzie would hurt after realizing that being mean all this time would leave her alone. And somehow Hope was in the middle of it. There was nothing Caroline could do without knowing the whole story, so she would just let things play out naturally. If her past had taught her something, was that things always happened the way it’s supposed to and there’s nothing you really can do if things are meant or not meant to be. And Hope and the twins… well, there was a curse upon their heads saying that they were meant for something. Caroline’s job was to find out how this curse begun and to put an end to it.


	10. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya has an idea to wake up Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I told you we would be back to the present. I hope you like this chapter. I liked it very much.

“She’s going to wake up.” Josie said confident.

“What if she doesn’t?” Lizzie whispered to her sister.

“She will, Lizzie. She’s too strong and too stubborn to never wake up.” Josie said softly. Lizzie nodded because she did not know what to say. “I’m sorry, Lizzie.” Josie said and Lizzie looked at her. “For all the things I did in the last days. I’m really sorry that I tried to merge with you and I-”

“That’s okay, Josie. Hope saved me. Saved you too.” Lizzie said and Josie nodded.

“I’m sorry for lying to you.” Josie said and Lizzie couldn’t look at her because she knew what Josie meant and she didn’t trust herself to talk about that without crying. “All those years ago. I shouldn’t have put the blame on Hope. I ended up hurting both of you. You two always had something and I envied that so much and I’m so sorry, Lizzie.” Josie said and she was crying.

“That’s okay. It’s over now.” Lizzie said holding her sister’s hand still looking at Hope. “Can I be alone for a moment?” She asked her sister. It was too much.

“Okay.” Josie said kissing her forehead and leaving Hope’s dorm. Lizzie stayed there staring at Hope’s sleeping figure. She didn’t pay attention to the door opening behind her just a few minutes after Josie left. Maybe it was hours. Lizzie didn’t really know.

“Alaric said she’s been sleeping for the last two days. I’m really glad you could come to-” She heard her mom saying as she entered the door. She was talking to someone, but Lizzie didn’t turn to see whom. “Lizzie, baby, I thought you would be in your bedroom.”

“I was just checking on her. I didn’t know you were coming, mom.” Lizzie said standing up and going to hug her mom. As soon as she felt her mom wrapping her arms around Lizzie, it was like a dim finally breaking. “What if she doesn’t wake up, mom? She has to- She has to-” Lizzie said sobbing, her mom holding her tight.

“Of course she’ll wake up, sweetie. That’s why I brought her aunts here. They’re going to help her.” Caroline said kissing her daughter’s head. Lizzie finally opened her eyes and saw two women next to Hope’s bed. Freya and Rebekah. Her heart felt a little lighter now. She knew they would do whatever was necessaire to bring Hope back. “Let me introduce you, Lizzie. This is-” Lizzie didn’t let her mom finish, though.

“Freya and Rebekah. I’m so glad you’re here. Hope will be so happy when she wakes up.” Lizzie said, hope swelling in her chest. She got close to the two women.

“Hey, Lizzie.” Freya said raising her hand for Lizzie to take. “I’m glad you’re here. Caroline said that you were the one that made the spell to take the dark magic out of Josie.”

“Yes, I did.” Lizzie said finally holding Freya’s hand. As soon as their hands touched, she felt that magic that was so similar to Hope’s. Lizzie’s heart skipped a beat and she looked the other witch in the eyes. She was looking back at Lizzie with something that Lizzie could only name as curiosity.

“You know, Hope used to call us complaining about you all the time.” Freya said with a soft teasing smile.

“Me too. She used to say that you were too much.” Rebekah said also smiling. Lizzie smiled because she remembered that one time she heard Hope talking to Freya about her and Josie.

“Yeah, I was kind of annoying when I was little following Hope around with books and gifts and candy.” Lizzie didn’t even know why she was saying that. Maybe she wanted to prove to these women that she was fighting for Hope since she was little and she would continue to do so now. “That was before…” Before Josie messed it up. But Lizzie wouldn’t say that. So, she just looked at Hope. “…before everything happened.”

“Tell us what happened.” Rebekah said looking intensely at her.

“It was a misunderstanding. Something I should’ve realized but I was always-”

“She meant what happened for Hope to be sleeping, sweetie. Not what happened all those years ago.” Her mom said.

“Oh, okay.” Lizzie thought about it. “There was Clarke. He pretended he was the new headmaster and he gave Josie a sandclock to storage dark magic. She kept using dark magic and storing it in the sandclock. Then I had this idea of sending it to a prison world before it could break, but then Alyssa Chang was mad at us and dad and she sent us there too and Josie met our homicidal uncle and she should’ve really known better than to tell him about Malivore, but she told him anyway and then he jumped into it and Josie had to break the sandclock in order to be strong enough to get us out of the prison world and as soon as she broke it, I felt the magic coursing through my veins and I ended up crashing the car and almost dying and dad saved me and Hope made Alyssa not destroy the prison world and we finally got out. It was everything fine until Emma made us go to this Therapy Simulation thing that locked us in a Noir World where Josie was killing everyone so she would be left with me there so she could shoot me and then get out of there and merge with me, of course killing me. But Hope being the annoying hero that she always is, she saved me by killing Josie. When we got out of there, Josie was gone, and evil Josie was in her place. She exploded a part of the school and left. She came back a few days later to our birthday. She said she wanted to merge and if I didn’t, she would start killing my friends. Of course, I ran away because I’m the weaker twin and everyone knew I would lose but Hope being the genius that she is, knew I would come back and linked my life to her _most of the times_ useless boyfriend and when Josie killed me, Landon also died and when he came back as the _flaming bird_ that he is, I came back too. Then Hope entered Josie’s subconscious to try to bring her back and I stayed here pretending to be Hope because everyone thought that I was dead. Dad made a deal with the necromancer and I siphoned the dark magic out of Josie and put it in him so he would bring Rafael and Alyssa back to life and then disappear leaving us alone. When I put the dark magic inside him, Josie woke up okay, but Hope didn’t.” Lizzie finished her story breathless. She looked to the horrified faces of Freya, Rebekah and her mom.

“What the hell is happening in this school?” Rebekah shouted.

“I really need to talk to your dad. He didn’t give me those details.” Caroline said.

“Now can we wake her up?” Lizzie asked Freya anxiously.

“I think I have an idea.” Freya said sitting on the bed next to Hope.

“Well, I trust you to solve it. Now I’m going to have a talk with Alaric. It’s about time that a Mikaelson threaten him again.” Rebekah said furious. Lizzie would be worried, but she knew Hope’s aunt wouldn’t actually hurt him. Her mom went after Rebekah, probably to also scream at her dad for being, well, not careful enough. Lizzie felt Freya’s stare on her as she sat in the chair next to Hope’s bed.

“Can I ask you a question, Lizzie?” Freya asked watching her carefully. Lizzie nodded. “Is Hope happy here?” Lizzie thought about it. She thought about she and Hope dancing after the 80s game shit, she thought about the cry pile and Hope smiling at Landon.

“Yes, she is. It’s difficult sometimes, but she is happy. She has a squad that would cross the world if she asked and a boyfriend that loves her.” Lizzie didn’t think the boyfriend in question was the best option for Hope, but he made her happy so Lizzie would be happy for her.

“Does she have you?” Freya asked softly.

“I’m her friend, of course, she has me.” Lizzie said with emotion. Hope was her best friend. Lizzie would do anything for her. She watched as Freya smiled knowing.

“I’m glad. Now, I do k-” Freya was interrupted by Josie entering the room. She looked at Freya and gulped. Freya only narrowed her eyes at her. “Came here to knock me out again?” She asked slowly.

“I’m really sorry about that. I guess I should’ve explained what I intended to do. I jus-” Josie started explaining but Freya stopped her with a raised hand.

“That’s okay. You made me remember Hope and that’s enough. Thank you.” Freya said softly. “You remembered her first, right?” Freya asked turning to Lizzie and Lizzie nodded. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? What happened?”

“Well, when Josie saved me from the Oni with that spell, I passed out and I woke up in the middle of the night with all of my memories back.” Lizzie said looking at Hope smiling. “When I woke up the next day, I went to question Hope about why the hell she didn’t tell us who she was but when I got there, lucky as we are, a monster appeared and trapped us in a 80s themed game made by an asshole sorcerer to trap young maidens. The Keeper of the game told us that the only way we could live was if one of us became the new Keeper, freeing her and the other. Hope, being the sacrificing martyr that she is, wanted to take her place so I could get out. I didn’t want her to stay trapped there, so I killed her and went to talk to the Keeper that I would stay and free her if Hope was also freed. But then-”

“Wait.” Josie said frowning. “You killed Hope so she wouldn’t trap herself in the game and then you went to trap yourself in the game? Why would you do that?”

“I couldn’t let Hope stay there. There were people out here that needed her. I wasn’t needed.” Lizzie said frankly.

“I need you, Lizzie.”

“That was the other reason I was willing to stay there: If I were trapped there, you wouldn’t have to merge with me, and you would be safe. I tried to rationalize that with Hope but she is too damn stubborn.”

“What happened then? The two of you obviously got out.” Freya asked watching the twins’ interactions closely.

“When I killed Hope, I went to the Keeper, but she was being purposely deceitful, so I realized that she was lying. One of us had to become the Keeper and the other would die. So, I didn’t take the deal to become the Keeper because I would have to let Hope die. Instead, I broke the Keeper’s bracelet and the game didn’t have a Keeper anymore. Then I killed the minotaur and saved our three asses from there: mine, Hope’s and the Keeper’s.”

“Why would you save her?” Josie asked incredulous.

“She was just a victim, just like us.” Lizzie said. She then looked at Hope and smiled again. “You should've seen the look on Hope’s face. She was super impressed when I saved her. Then we came to the school and I cheered her up and I hugged her, and we danced, and I was the only person in the whole world that remembered her.” Lizzie said, realizing too late that she said that out loud. She blushed. “What was the question anyway?”

“I wanted to know why you didn’t tell anyone.” Freya said.

“I wanted to, but Hope made me promise that it was her right to keep her truth to herself and I wouldn’t break her trust, so I didn’t tell anyone. Even when the truth-seeking monster tried to kill me for lying. Then she confessed she had a crush on Josie, and she stole my butterfly clip when we were in 5th grade to distract the monster, but it didn’t work.”

“Wait. She had a crush on me?” Josie asked surprised.

“Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. It was when she was fourteen and only for a week.” Lizzie said disgusted. Josie and Hope together was the last thing she needed to imagine right now.

“So, if she had a crush on me, that means that if I had confessed my crush on her, I would have a chance.” Josie said even more surprised.

“Of course, you would. How could you think she would choose me over you?” Lizzie said quietly. “If only you had dealt with your crush like a normal person instead of burning Hope’s dorm down.”

“I’m getting way more information than I intended to when I came here.” Freya said watching them intensely.

“I’m sorry.” The twins said in unison.

“As curious as I am to know the rest of all of this, I need to get my niece back first.” Freya said looking at Lizzie then. “I’m gonna need you to do it.” Lizzie opened her mouth and then closed. She really wanted to save Hope, but she didn’t want to mess anything up and lose Hope forever. Freya seemed to see her worry because she gave Lizzie a reassuring nod.

“What do you want me to do?” Lizzie asked.

“One of you go call my sister and your mom. When they come back, I’ll tell all of you.”

Josie, anxious to leave Freya’s presence, left the room. They waited for about two minutes before their silence became heavy. Freya was staring at her. Lizzie felt Freya’s question before even hearing it.

“So, when did you realize you were in love with my niece?” Lizzie opened her mouth to give Freya an answer to a totally different question. Then she closed her mouth. That was definitely not the question she waited for Freya to ask.

“What? I’m not in love with Hope.” Lizzie shouted as the door opened and Rebekah, Josie, her mom, dad and Landon, of all damned people, entered the room. Lizzie blushed so red that she thought she would pass out. She looked at Rebekah’s raised eyebrow, her dad’s frown, and her mom’s smirk. She avoided Josie’s reaction, though, because she feared what she would find. Landon’s too but because she didn’t care about him.

“Well, everyone is here, so I’ll tell you how we’re solving it.” Freya started. “For what I was told, Lizzie took the dark magic out of Josie and put it on the Necromancer. Hope’s consciousness was inside Josie’s head. I believe that the spell transferred Hope to the Necromancer along with the dark magic. If it is the case, it will be relatively easy to bring her back. It would be difficult if we didn’t have a siphon witch, but fortunately, we have two. The only two in the world, actually.” Freya said enigmatically and Lizzie knew there was a story behind it, but now was time to save Hope. She could ask about that later. “Basically, you just need to siphon Hope’s consciousness from the Necromancer and put it back in Hope.” Freya said looking at Lizzie now.

“How is she going to do that?” Alaric asked winning a glare from Freya.

“I’ll have to enter the Necromancer’s mind.” Lizzie said figuring out the rest. Freya nodded.

“You just have to find Hope and touch her. No talking needed. As soon as you touch her, you two will wake up here. Hope is probably suffering inside that messed up mind, so she’ll want to leave and that will make it easier for you to find her.” Freya said.

“How is Lizzie going to get into the Necromancer’s mind? He’s not here and even if he were, I don’t think he would be willing to help us.” Alaric said.

“He doesn’t need to. Lizzie will use the residual magic from when she cast the spell to put the dark magic inside of him. Think of if as a river. When Lizzie transferred the dark magic, it was like a huge river that he opened for Lizzie to cross. Now the river is gone, but a little stream was left, and Lizzie can still use it to cross.” Freya said and Lizzie knew that her father wanted to argue but decided to shut up.

“Will Lizzie be safe?” Her mom asked worried.

“Yes, It will be just like siphoning. She’ll be safe.”

“I’ll do it.” Lizzie said fast. She just wanted to save Hope already.

“You just have to hold Hope’s hand and dive in.” Freya said.

“That easy?” Josie asked unbelieving.

“I guess you’ll find some trouble on the way, but you can leave at any time you feel like it’s too much. I don’t recommend it, though, because it will be difficult to get in again if you come back. Remember, you just have to touch Hope and siphon from her there.” Lizzie nodded. She laid on the bed next to Hope and held her hand.

“I just have to dive in, right?” Lizzie asked and Freya nodded. Lizzie could see that she was nervous. She just wanted her niece back and having to trust anyone instead of doing it herself was killing her. “I’m going to bring her back. You better have a welcome back party waiting for us.” Lizzie joked to Landon and Josie. They smiled worriedly.

Lizzie closed her eyes and pictured the stream Freya mentioned. It was easy. After only a few seconds, she felt the outside world’s sounds fading and it was like falling asleep being conscious the whole time. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a place she had never been. She looked around and her eyes locked in a coffin in the middle of the place that she hadn’t noticed when she woke up here. She got closer to it, but she didn’t need to see who was inside. It was Hope’s mom. Lizzie had a bad feeling about it. She looked around again and she was in a different place now. She looked back at the coffin just to realized it had disappeared. She paid attention to the new place. It was a girl’s room. Hope’s, Lizzie knew it. Her old bedroom back in the Mikaelson’s compound. Lizzie’s eyes found a black dress on the bed. She touched it and a memory flashed in her mind. _Hope crying and hugging her dad._ Lizzie took a deep breath. She knew what it all meant. She watched as the scenery changed again. Now she was next to a lake and looking at a tree with the name Hayley Marshall carved in it. Lizzie felt a tear escape her eye. She touched the carving.

“Hope is reliving the death of her parents.” She whispered as a memory of Hope crying seeing this same carving flashed in her mind.


	11. About Death and Sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope remembers the death of her parents. Lizzie saves Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.
> 
> This chapter has a lot of angst but the end is super cute. I hope you like it.

Hope had everything planned in detail. She had spent the last months planning this alone in her dorm trying to ignore how her heart broke more every time the twins said something mean about her. She still didn’t understand why they would do this. Mostly Lizzie. She was the one hurting Hope. It’s true that Josie always laughed at her sister’s jokes and mean remarks, but the one saying it was Lizzie. She would gossip lies about Hope and call her names in front of everyone and they would laugh and Hope would cry about it later in her dorm. With time, Hope learned to ignore it to make Lizzie angry or say something just as hurtful back. She felt terrible, but it was better than just cry every night. It was stunning how it all changed. Before, Lizzie had friends. Now she had followers. Before, she was funny with her overly excited personality. She was always too clever, too funny, too persistent and too popular and people liked her for it. Now, she was mean and clever and persistent and still popular and this combination made people just pretend to like her. Hope could notice and she knew Lizzie also noticed. It was a mystery to Hope why Lizzie wouldn’t care about that. The twins’ mom was also away from the school and that didn’t help.

Since Hope started to spend so much time in her dorm to avoid the Queen of Mean, she started to have ideas. At first, she discarded it as too crazy, but after some time she was desperate. People wouldn’t even talk to her afraid of being socially banished by their Queen and Hope felt a terrible loneliness. It made her miss her family more than she already did. So when she sold her blood to Henry and he killed himself jumping from the turret, Hope almost didn’t feel guilty. She knew it was part of her perfectly crafted plan to get her family back together. Her family was what really mattered in the end. The rest of the world didn’t care about Hope; they didn’t even know her and the ones that did hated her. She also didn’t feel guilty when the headmaster scolded her and suspended her. She didn’t feel guilty when her mom gave her _a talk_ about responsibility as soon as Hope was home or when her dad was forced to go back to New Orleans to look for Hope’s mom. Hope didn’t have time to feel guilty between being angry and sad at her father’s avoidance. It wasn’t a surprise when, after she found out that her mom had really been abducted, the guilt flooded Hope, almost smashing her. But she trusted that her family would find her mom. After all, they lived thousands of years and had been through a lot of enemies and problems and they were still alive and together. Her mom was part of the Mikaelson Family and that meant being fought for _always and forever_. They would find her.

When Roman offered help, Hope accepted easily. He was cute and clever, a senior, and he was popular enough that he didn’t care about being socially excluded by a thirteen years old witch, even if she virtually owned the school. He cared about Henry; Hope had realized it when he showed up at Hope’s house when she was suspended. He was feeling guilty for being a bit of a bully. He was Hope’s first kiss and the only one that really talked to her and cared enough to ask questions. So, when he told her that he would help her, she accepted. She needed a witch to do the binding spell that would take off her werewolf side. She was scared to hell of doing it but she would do anything to bring her mom back. It was her fault and she was the only one that could solve it. Unfortunately, none of the witches at the school were strong enough to help her and even if they were, they wouldn’t do it. Hope thought of the twins; they were strong enough. Their unique magic made them as strong as the person they were siphoning from and if they siphoned from Hope they could perform the spell. Hope thought about asking them. She was at the library watching Lizzie read and trying to gather courage to ask her help when Roman came in and offered help. He was right. With his help, Hope could sneak out of school and find a witch that was powerful enough. Everything would be okay.

But he turned out to be a liar. _She should’ve known_ , Hope thought. Everyone in her life turned out to be liars and cheaters and hateful people. Her mom had promised Hope when she was seven that they would wake up her sleeping family and they would get Hope’s dad back and they would live together and happy. That really happened, but soon the Hollow shattered them all apart and Hope was left alone again. The twins have been trying to make Hope be their friend for years and when Hope was finally opening up and talking more to them, they decided that they didn’t want Hope anymore. Hope’s dad promised her always and forever but he was never there. He wasn’t even the one that told Hope about her mom. Hope couldn’t do this anymore. Her mom was dead and her family couldn’t even go to her funeral because they couldn’t be in the same place together. It was Hope’s fault. That was why Hope took the Hollow back. She couldn’t live this life of being forever apart from them so she solved it. It was painful to have to control it, but Hope didn’t care. At least with the hollow inside of her, she was able to see all of them in front of her again. With the Hollow’s power she was able to kill all the Purist vampires that were responsible for her mom’s death. She avenged her mom. She felt invincible for a second. But then she killed someone that didn’t deserve. An innocent. A human. Triggering her werewolf side. She had never thought of it as a curse, like so many did, but for the first time she thought of it as such knowing that her mother was dead because of her and that she would never get to see Hope be a wolf. Hope couldn’t decide if it was a good thing, since she would never have to see her mother’s sad eyes when she realized that Hope had killed someone or if it was all just bad because her mom wouldn’t be there to walk her through it like she had done it so many times with so many werewolves. But Hope would be dead soon because of the Hollow so it wouldn’t matter.

Except that it didn’t happen like that. Hope had never hated Lizzie and Josie Saltzman. On the contrary. Hope had ever liked Lizzie and Josie. Growing up, she realized she loved Lizzie’s aggressive pursuit of what she wanted. Hope used to find it funny how insistent she was; how she never gave up on anything, as difficult as it seemed to get it. She also loved Josie’s softness that contrasted Lizzie so much. Josie was sensitive and sweet and always so caring. They were both powerful in the senses of magic and of personality. They were unstoppable together and when Hope was with them she felt like she had a match. Two people that were just as different, impossible and powerful as she was. So, yes, she always liked them. But when Hope found out that they had siphoned the Hollow from Hope and put it in her dad, she hated them. She hated them because they knew that if the Hollow were in Klaus, he would have to die to protect Hope. She hated them for being the way to save Hope and kill her dad.

When her father died and Hope felt the hole of being alone and having to go back to the school again, this time as a Mikaelson, she was numb. She didn’t care that Lizzie said hurtful thing because Hope was a Mikaelson and she just said it back. She didn’t care that people didn’t talk to her, this time not afraid of Lizzie but afraid of Hope, afraid of her name. She just didn’t care. She didn’t want to care.

* * *

It was easy to find Hope. Lizzie just had to follow the sound of the sobbing. She walked until she found Hope sitting next to the lake where Lizzie had found the tree with Hope’s mom’s name carved in it. She watched Hope for a while before going to sit next to her.

“Hey.” She said quietly; careful not to touch Hope yet. Hope looked at her with teared eyes and Lizzie’s heart almost stopped. She wished that she could take all her suffering away.

“Hey.” Hope said sadly.

“I just have to touch you and we can leave.” Lizzie told her. Hope nodded. Lizzie was about to touch her when she stopped. “I’m sorry.” She said looking away. Hope tilted her head. “For what happened to your mom and dad. For not being there for you and just making things more difficult by being mean to you.” Lizzie took a deep breath and then looking back at Hope. “I’m sorry that in order to save you, we had to take the Hollow out of you and put it in your dad.” Lizzie felt the tears falling down her face. “I hated myself for it. That your dad asked us to do it. That I knew that you would hate me forever for it.”

“I don’t.” Hope said softly.

“I know.” Lizzie said with a little smile through the tears. “You’re good like that.” She said and then Hope was hugging her. The next thing she knew, she was siphoning from Hope. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was still crying. She looked at Hope; her breath caught until Hope finally opened her eyes. She hugged Hope.

“I’m so glad you’re back.” Lizzie said relieved that it worked.

“I’m glad you brought me back.” Hope whispered in her ears. “Thank you.” Lizzie wanted to keep Hope wrapped in her arms forever, but it was selfish of her. Hope’s family wanted to hug her too.

“Okay. Spare some love for you aunt, Hope.” Lizzie heard Rebekah say and she felt Hope’s lips turn into a smile on Lizzie's shoulder. Hope broke their hug and finally noticed both her aunts there.

“Aunt Rebekah and Aunt Freya.” Hope said getting up and going to hug both of them. Lizzie got up too and hugged Josie. She was happy to have Hope back. She watched as Hope’s aunts started to fuss over her and Hope rolled her eyes. Lizzie laughed out loud then. Hope looked at her and raised one eyebrow. “What, Saltzman?” Lizzie rolled her eyes fondly.

“You’re such a baby, Mikaelson.”

* * *

Hope loved her family. She really did, but when aunt Freya asked Hope for the fourth time if she wanted to go back to New Orleans with her, Hope almost screamed in frustration.

“I already told you that I’m fine. I want to stay here.” Hope said later in the same day she finally woke up.

“It’s not permanently, Hope. It’s just for a few days until you’re recovered.” Aunt Rebekah joined aunt Freya.

“Recover from what? I was basically napping for the last days.” Hope said rolling her eyes.

“You’re so stubborn.” Freya said frustrated.

“Now, if you allow me, I’d like to go talk to my boyfriend and my friends. I want to know what happened while I was sleeping.”

“I can tell you. Your boyfriend died and when he came back like the _flaming bird_ that he is, your best friend also came back. After that they were waiting for you to wake up.” Freya said with a raised eyebrow. Hope narrowed her eyes at her.

“You’ve been talking to Lizzie.” Hope said sighing. “I’m glad it worked, though.” Hope said sitting on her bed.

“Lizzie told me quite a lot.” Freya said enigmatically. Hope grunted.

“Oh no. What else did she tell you?”

“Enough for me to know that I’m never enrolling Nik here.” Freya said worried. “She also told me something about a fire in your dorm. I remember it. You lost a lot of things in it. How is it Josie’s fault?” Freya asked frowning. Hope sighed loudly and threw herself back on the bed making a show.

“She had a crush on me, wrote me a letter, regretted it and burned my whole dorm down when she tried to burn just the letter.”

“I feel like there’s more about it.” Rebekah said sitting on the bed next to her. Hope closed her eyes.

“It was in the same day that Lizzie had her first episode. I didn’t know back then, but Lizzie hurt herself pretty badly and her magic went out of control.” Hope said remembering how Lizzie’s magic went out of control when she wanted to know about the Merge. She didn’t know how Lizzie’s first episode happened. Lizzie hadn’t told her yet, but that day Hope had seen it before they learned about the Merge was enough for Hope to understand why she was so scared. “Josie led Lizzie to believe that I was spreading the rumors that she was crazy.” She said and then looked at her aunts. “That’s why we had been fighting all those years.”

“Why would Josie do this?” Rebekah asked.

“She had a crush on Hope and was scared that Hope would choose Lizzie. She didn't know Hope also had a crush on Josie.” Freya said knowing. Hope sighed again.

“So, Lizzie also told you that.”

“She told that to me and Josie.”

“She told Josie too?” Hope said grunting and closing her eyes in embarrassment.

“Josie was surprised to know that you also liked her. Lizzie wasn’t, though. She knew you would always choose Josie.” Freya said making Hope frown.

“Why would she say that?”

“Well, you did have a crush on her twin.” Rebekah said understanding where Freya was going and playing along.

“For one week.” Said Hope bringing her hands to her temples. “And only because-” Hope started and stopped when she realized her aunts looking at her weirdly.

“Only because…” Freya tried to make her talk.

Hope narrowed her eyes at them. “Don’t even start it. I don’t like her like that.” Hope said resolute.

“You don't like whom like that?” Rebekah said innocently.

“I have a boyfriend.” Hope said defensively.

“I know. I can’t wait for you to introduce him to us.” Freya said happily. Hope rolled her eyes. She was about to say something about how she would do this if they haven’t let Hope leave her room when she heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.” She said as the focus of their previous talk entered. Rebekah smirked at Hope and Freya gave Hope a little bump on the shoulder.

“Hey. I’m sorry for disturbing you but I brought you, Hope, some food since you never came down to eat.” Lizzie said with a plate full of everything Hope liked.

“They’re keeping me in dorm arrest.” Hope said with a pained voice. Lizzie smiled.

“Oh, poor you. It must be the worst of punishments.” She said sarcastically as Hope picked up a little piece of cake and put it in her mouth.

“It’s good you’re here, Lizzie.” Freya started and Hope looked at her. “We were just talking about you.” Freya finished with a smirk and Hope choked on her cake. Lizzie looked at her curiously and she swallowed it fast.

“This is like a déjà vu. What have you been talking about me to your aunts? I hope you’re not complaining that I’m too much again.” Lizzie said the last part slowly making fun of Hope. Hope blushed and Rebekah laughed.

“Oh no. Hope thinks you’re perfectly enough now, right, Hope?” Rebekah said smiling sweetly. Lizzie raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Shouted Hope fast.

“Oh.” Said Lizzie with a sad face.

“I mean, yes.” Hope corrected herself fast. She watched as Lizzie’s sad face dropped and Hope realized she was teasing Hope.

“Do you?” Lizzie said joining her aunts on the _teasing Hope train_. _If only Lizzie knew what this teasing was about.._. Hope only rolled her eyes to brush away her embarrassment. “Well, I’ll go back to my room.” Lizzie said after after a moment.

“Wait.” Hope said standing up fast. Lizzie looked at her.

“What?” Hope really didn’t know what to say. She had no idea why she asked Lizzie to wait. She was painfully aware of her aunts’ curious gaze. She could notice that Lizzie was aware of it too because she blushed a perfect shade of red. That distracted Hope a little. “What, Hope?” Lizzie asked again looking at her aunts and then at Hope.

“I just wanted to say thank you for saving me.” _Stupid_ , thought Hope.

“That’s what friends do.” Lizzie said smiling. “Thank you for saving my life too. If you hadn’t linked my life to the Hobbit’s I would be dead.” Lizzie said softly. Hope only nodded. Before leaving the room, though, Lizzie looked back at Hope and gave her that special, rare smile that Hope loved so much. When she closed the door, her aunts turned back at Hope.

“Hobbit?” Rebekah said almost bursting out in laugh. Hope grunted really loud this time and threw herself on the bed.

“Don’t even start it.” She squealed and her aunts finally break out laughing out loud. It was such an amazing sound that Hope couldn’t contain herself. A few seconds later she was laughing too.


	12. When it's Time to Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Landon helps Hope to realize something important. Freya has some news to Hope and the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry it took me so long to post another chapter. Like I said when I posted we fell in love in october, I got sick and had to spend some time in the hospital. Now I'm all better and can go back to write and post.
> 
> I hope you like this chapter. I liked how I finished Hope and Landon. I didn't want them to break up over a fight or something. I feel like the Landon we know and like (some of us... I literally like everyone) would want Hope to be happy no matter what and I tried to give him this here because it doesn't matter if people don't like him, by the end he's a good guy.
> 
> I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT AND GET CURIOUS ABOUT THE MERGE THING. PLEASE BARE WITH ME.

Lizzie was looking for Hope. She had been to her dorm but her aunts had said that she left earlier today and they hadn’t seen her yet. Lizzie was almost by the dock when she heard Landon’s voice and halted on her tracks.

“You know that I love you, right, Hope?” He was saying.

“I love you too.” Said Hope back. _Hope_. Lizzie’s heart broke at her words. _I love you too_. Of course she loved him. As much as Lizzie hated to admit, Landon was actually a good boyfriend that had more than once risked his life for Hope; even for Lizzie. He also had a good heart. Hope deserved someone like that. Lizzie sighed and turned around. She wouldn’t keep listening to their love declarations. She walked a bit without a place in mind. Just walked waiting to see where her feet would take her. She wasn’t surprised when she found herself in front of _their tree_. Lizzie smiled softly.

“Is this it?” Lizzie heard Freya asking from behind her. Lizzie blushed remembering what Freya had asked her just before everyone burst into the room. _‘So, when did you realize you were in love with my niece?’_ Lizzie had been ignoring Josie’s stare since then; trying to pretend she hadn’t listened to it.

“What?” Lizzie asked.

“Yours and Hope’s tree.” Freya said pointing at it. Lizzie looked at the tree again and smiled softly.

“Yes.” She said noticing that Freya was still looking at her.

“You should tell her, you know.” Freya said.

“Tell her what?” Lizzie asked blushing. She didn’t want to go down this road with Hope’s aunt, of all people, so she pretended to be oblivious to the obvious feelings she had for Hope. Freya smiled knowing and then nodded.

“I was actually looking for your sister.” She said after a moment.

“Why? Are you still mad at her for not being clear to you about her intentions? Remember that the only reason we got our memories back was because of her.” Lizzie said defensive of her sister. Josie didn’t need more problems after all the things she’d been through.

“That’s not the reason I wanna talk to her. I was actually hoping that she had kept her ex-girlfriend’s journal; the one that was spelled along with the pens.” Freya said and Lizzie frowned. Why would she need that for? Lizzie would ask Josie about it later.

“Yes, she still has it. If she’s not in our dorm, she’s probably in the library or the turret.” Lizzie said noticing that Freya’s attention shifted to something behind Lizzie. When she turned around, she saw Hope Mikaelson walking towards them. Freya looked back at Lizzie.

“Thank you, Lizzie. I’ll go look for her.” She said and when Hope finally arrived where they were, Freya looked at her. “I’ll let you girls talk.” She said to Hope and Lizzie noticed Hope blushing slightly. When Freya was out of earshot, Hope looked at Lizzie biting her lips. Lizzie gulped.

“I wanna show you something.” Hope said.

* * *

“I’m happy Lizzie could bring you back.” Landon said smiling at Hope. Hope had been sitting by the dock when he found her and sat next to her. Hope looked at him.

“Me too. It wasn’t nice to be inside his mind.” Hope said remembering the sadness she found in there.

“I can imagine. I’m sorry.” He said and Hope nodded.

“She didn’t leave your side.” Landon said quietly after a few minutes watching the birds flying over the lake. Hope’s heart quickened.

“Who?” She asked but her heart already knew the answer. Landon noticed that because he looked at her with a slight smile and then back at the lake.

“Josie said something to me once and that really stuck with me.” Landon started. “You can always know when someone really cares for someone when they’re willing to let the other person go if that means they'll be happier.” Landon continued, the little smile still on his lips. “Even if it will hurt the person being left.” He then looked at Hope. “She told me that when we were decorating your new room; she was talking about how you were willing to leave the school if that made her happy. When you didn’t interfere on our relationship because you thought we were happier.” Hope frowned, not understanding where he was going. “Lizzie’s doing the same, you know?”

“What?” Hope asked stunned.

“She cares so much about you.” Landon said.

“She’s my friend.” Hope said thinking that maybe she was more; that Lizzie was her best friend. That she had been since they were little kids and that the time they spent hating each other, as hurtful as it was, wasn’t able to shatter completely their connection. “My friend.” Hope said again, settling for a simpler explanation instead of all the raw feelings bubbling inside her. Landon nodded knowing.

“You know that I love you, right, Hope?” He said with a tone that made Hope realize that he had made a choice. A hard one.

“I love you too.” Hope said somewhat anxious and relieved, knowing what he would say next.

“That’s why I’m letting you go.” He said and Hope felt dizzy. She took a deep breath. She was surprised to realize that she breathed better after what he said.

“Why?” Hope asked looking forward at the calm lake.

“You know why.” He said smiling and then took her hand. “Thank you for everything you gave me. A place where I fit in, a family of friends that love me and also your love. I know it was difficult.” He said kissing her forehead. Hope nodded.

“Thank you.” She said. She was feeling like a huge part of her was changing. She smiled; it wasn’t a bad change. “Thank you.” And this time Hope said looking inside his eyes to make sure he understood that she was thankful for everything he did to her, for caring about her and listening when she was telling something that was hard to tell; for being a friend above anything. She was thankful that he was letting her go. He understood.

“Go talk to her.” He said standing up and leaving. When Hope couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, she got up and went to find Lizzie.

She found her talking to Hope’s aunt next to _their tree._ Hope stopped and watched them for a few seconds; her heart twisting and jumping at the vision of Lizzie talking to Hope’s family. When Freya spotted her and smiled slightly, Hope started walking again. When she arrived at the place they were, Freya looked at her smirking. “I’ll let you girls talk.” Then she turned away and left leaving Hope blushed and avoiding Lizzie’s eyes. After looking at the tree for a moment, Hope looked at Lizzie a little nervous.

“I wanna show you something.” Hope said. She took Lizzie’s hand and brought her closer to the tree, to the place Hope had tried to bury her feelings for Lizzie so many years ago. She kneeled bringing Lizzie with her. Lizzie was looking at her curiously. “I kept all the things you gave me.” Hope said slowly and quietly. She whispered a spell and watched as a box started to dig its way out of the ground where it was buried. Hope took it and gave it to Lizzie, their fingers touching and causing Hope’s whole body to itch. Her eyes darted to Lizzie’s and then away. “Open it.” Hope said pointing at the box with her chin. Lizzie inhaled sharply when she opened the box.

“You kept it.” She whispered amazed, then looked at Hope with those glassy eyes that said too much and yet it was never enough to tell what was happening inside her beautiful mind. “You kept it.” She said again and Hope blushed.

“Of course I did.” She smiled at Lizzie's wide grin.

“Why?” Lizzie asked after picking up every single thing inside the box and looking at it with reverence.

“I loved you since that first time I met you; all small and bossy.” Hope said laughing. “You were the first person that made me feel like, I don’t know, like I had a match.” Hope said remembering the first time she saw Lizzie hiding in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. She remembered the feeling of freedom and unbounded lightness she felt when Lizzie siphoned from her for the first time. “I was a child back then, we both were, but we knew.” Hope said smiling at the memory; at all the childhood memories. At the happiness and pain that they both caused to each other.

“What did we know?” Lizzie asked softly then, looking inside Hope’s eyes.

“That were bound to always find the way back to each other.” Hope whispered. Lizzie blushed and looked away but not before Hope could see her heart on her eyes; not before Hope could see the love there. She took Lizzie’s hand. “We always will.” Hope said standing up and taking Lizzie with her. They walked back to the school and Hope knew that anyone that looked at them right now would notice their flustered faces and pacific aura; anyone would notice that they were each other’s. When they entered the school, Lizzie’s mom spotted them. She walked towards them and Hope knew the moment she recognized the box on Lizzie’s hands. She looked at Hope making her blush.

“Hey, girls, digging up old things?” Caroline asked pointing at the box and Lizzie, not noticing that her mom knew about it, looked down at the box and tried to clean the dirt covering it. Hope found it adorable, they way she reverently dusted it and hugged it to her chest. Hope smiled.

“Merely letting out things that should never be kept hidden.” Hope said looking at Lizzie and watching her face flushing into a lovely shade of red. Caroline raised an eyebrow at them and the shook her head. “Freya wants to talk with us.” Caroline said after a moment of watching them with that funny smile that adults usually display when they’re watching kids in love. Hope and Lizzie followed her to the library. Alaric, Rebekah, Josie and Freya were already there. Aunt Rebekah, always the first to notice the little things, looked Hope up and down and then at Lizzie still clutching the box as if it were made of gold and diamonds; _or something even more special_ , thought Hope nodding at her aunt’s interrogative look. Her aunt grinned proud and loving and Hope looked away to stop herself from laughing out loud.

“Now that everyone’s here” Freya said smiling at Hope and Lizzie “I’d like to share something. Ever since I got my memories of Hope back” She then looked at Josie grateful “that I’ve been working harder on something that I had already been looking into for a long time. Before Hope jumped into Malivore, she had asked me to start looking for anything related to the Merge.” Freya said looking at Hope with a fond smile. Hope noticed how the library seemed to fill with tension at the word Merge; at that curse that had almost drowned Josie in darkness and killed Lizzie. “I was already doing it before you asked.” Freya said now looking at Caroline gently. At Hope’s questioning glance, Freya said “Klaus knew about how you got pregnant with the twins and that when you met him in Paris, you were looking for something; that you were looking for a way to break the curse. Before he died he asked me to promise him that I would try my hardest to find a way to break it so one day you would be free of the pain of fearing for your child’s life; he knew that pain well and he didn’t want it for you.” Freya said softly. Hope looked at Caroline and watched with wonder as something like pain crossed her face. Hope was astonished to realized, for the first time in her life, that someone besides her family cared for Klaus. “I started to dig on it but the Gemini is one of the Antient Covens and to look so far back in history is difficult because after so much time we can’t actually be sure if the information we’d been given is real or some big mystification of something simple that happened.”

“That was some of the trouble I found when I was traveling around trying to understand it.” Caroline said, looking at Freya thankful and then at the twins. “Do you girls remember miss Appleton and miss Warren?” Caroline said looking at Hope and the twins. Then she smirked and looked at Lizzie. “The ones you tricked into assigning you and Hope together in Feelings and Magic?” She said and Lizzie turned red.

“Mom!” Lizzie shouted looking around embarrassed and trying to avoid everyone’s eyes. “How do you know about that?”

“Please, Elizabeth, I was your age once.” Caroline said rolling her eyes and Hope saw Josie trying to swallow her laugh. “Well, she actually found out something interesting when you two did your project. The tree you planted was actually supposed to part in two after you two cast the spell.” Caroline said looking intensely at them. “When it didn’t, miss Appleton started to read books about it and found out that when people that are fated try to do a parting spell based on a feeling, like the one you did on the tree, the spell will mirror the bond and the thing they’re trying to separate won’t part.”

“I don’t understand.” Lizzie said frowning.

“We’re bonded together. You, me and Hope.” Josie explained to her looking between Lizzie and Hope and then at her mom. “How?”

“We don’t know.” Caroline said and looked at Alaric. “Somehow the three of you are linked by Fate, Curse or Spell.” Caroline said.

“We figured that it has to be by curse since that’s what the Merge is. We just don’t know how Hope fits in the midst of it all.” Alaric said, a tone of defeat in his voice.

“That was why I was looking for Josie earlier.” Freya said looking at Lizzie and then at Josie. “When she went to New Orleans and told me that she had read Lizzie’s diary entry about remembering Hope,” Freya said and Hope looked at the twins; at Lizzie’s blushed face and Josie’s fond smile at her twin. “I had an idea after I woke up.” Freya said smiling. “What if we could alter the spell in a way that instead of writing things that are happening at the moment, like someone writing down something, it could show us something that’s already written down; something that happened a long time ago.” Freya said and Josie and Lizzie’s eyes widened.

“Is it possible?” Josie asked.

“If we can find the exact place where the first Merge happened, yes, I believe it is possible.” Freya said sure.

“If we know how and why the first Merge happened…” Lizzie started.

“… we can maybe know how to prevent from happening with us.” Josie said, broken voice and scared to be hopeful.

“Exactly.” Freya said.

“But how can we know where?” Rebekah asked frowning and Hope watched as the glimpse of hope she had seen in Josie a few seconds ago, diminished. Lizzie looked at her sister and Hope knew their feelings were being exchanged through the twin bond and they were both starting to feel sad again.

“I think I have an idea.” Hope said and everyone looked at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys think? Did you like it? Please like it. Don't forget to comment.


	13. Where It All Began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope and the twins have some insight of what the Merge is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sooo long because I had to create some backstory for the Merge. Since when I started this fic that I knew I wanted to make it something sad that happened. By the end of the chapter, we'll know how the Merge happened for the first time, how the first siphoner was caused and some other things that I won't spoil.
> 
> I really hope you like it. I'm kinda proud of the backstory. It's almost a whole story on its own and I liked the characters I wrote.
> 
> Please like it.

They were looking at Hope with different degrees of hope and surprise. Hope expected that she was right and the spell she was thinking about would work. “Remember the Globe I spelled to help us find supernatural beings?” Hope said looking at Doctor Saltzman and the twins.

“Yes. _The brighter the light the more powerful the being_.” Lizzie said frowning.

“Exactly. The Globe is supposed to find any supernatural. But let’s say we narrow its range to find any supernatural blood related to Lizzie and Josie. Then we correct the spell to find them alive and dead. We learned in Magic Genealogy that when you trace back your lineage, the magic will become stronger and stronger and the most powerful being will be the first person or the founder of the coven. There are, of course, exceptions, like when the magic is mixed with another species like in me. If we consider the logic that the older beings of this specific bloodline will be way more powerful than the younger ones, as it usually is, we just have to see on the Globe the brighter light and go to the place.” Hope finished looking at everyone expectantly.

“That’s genius, Hope.” Her aunt Freya exclaimed looking ahead as if thinking about the modifications the spell would have to go through. “In theory it will work perfectly.” Her aunt said already starting to write down something on the book she was holding.

It wasn’t so difficult to find the place in the end. After they had spent one week perfecting the spell, they were finally ready to go to the place the Globe showed. It was in the middle of Europe, as most of the ancient covens originated from. Now they hoped that Freya’s modification of Penelope’s Spy Spell would work. They had worked on it too and Hope knew and trusted her aunt enough to know that it would work. She couldn’t shake the uncertainty away, though.

The last week had been relieving, for lack of a better word. Hope and Lizzie had worked together on the spell every day and sometimes Hope would catch Lizzie staring at her. Or she would be caught by Lizzie for doing the same thing. It was almost like childhood again. Stolen glances and hidden smiles.

“When you nodded to me with that big dumb smile, I really thought that you had finally kissed her.” Her aunt Rebekah said in the hotel room they were staying tonight.

“Aunt Rebekah!” Hope exclaimed blushing.

“She’s right, Hope. I also thought that once you broke up with Landon, you’d be kissing her senseless the next minute.” Freya said smirking. Hope grunted. She would rather share room with the twins but they were with their mom while Hope was with her aunts.

“We’re taking it slow.” Hope half shouted half hissed.

“If taking it slow means that you two are waiting for the other to make a move first, sure.” Rebekah said laughing. Hope rolled her eyes.

“That’s not what we’re doing.”

“Okay.” Freya said kissing her niece’s forehead and opening her laptop. A few minutes later her wife’s face appeared. “Hey, Keelin.”

“Hey.” Keelin said and a little hand clasped her face. Nik’s. “He’s restless.” She said sighing. “He misses you.”

“I miss you too, sweetheart.” Freya told the little boy and his head popped up.

“Hello, Hope.” Keelin said when she noticed Hope behind Freya.

“Hello, aunt Keelin.” Hope said smiling and making some funny faces to Nik. He had just turned one but he had already a bit of a temper. After talking a little with her aunt and cousin, Hope decided to go outside and get some air. As if on cue, as soon as Hope closed the bedroom’s door behind her, Lizzie’s bedroom door opened and she stepped outside. Hope smiled. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Lizzie said. Hope may have blushed a little when the subject of her early talks with her aunts seemed to have her same idea of getting out to get some air.

“Felling restless?” Hope asked watching Lizzie fidgeting with her fingers.

“I’m thinking about tomorrow. If we’re not able to get some answers about the merge, Josie will be devastated.” Lizzie said worried. “You know, she’s been having nightmares about killing me.”

“And you’ve been having them too.” Hope guessed and Lizzie nodded.

“Sometimes I don’t even know if the nightmare is mine or Josie’s.”

“Have you talked to her about it?” Hope asked concerned and Lizzie smiled bitterly.

“I don’t think she knows what’s mine or hers either.”

“I’m sorry.” Hope said reaching for Lizzie’s hand.

“What do you think it is?” Lizzie asked after a few minutes of staring at the night sky.

“What?”

“The connection between the three of us. As if the merge wasn’t bad enough for the two of us, now you’re somehow involved in it?” Lizzie asked frowning.

“I have no idea but my aunt Freya thinks that it’s something in the past; something that linked us before we were even born. Something that made us possible.” Hope said tightening the hold on Lizzie’s hand. “Tomorrow we’ll find out, anyway.” She noticed that Lizzie kept glancing at her. “What?”

“I don’t wanna wait.” Lizzie said turning to Hope.

“I don’t think we have a choice. We have to wait till tomorrow to get there.” Hope said frowning.

“It’s not what I meant.” Lizzie said looking right into her eyes.

“Oh.” It was the only thing Hope could do. That and blush.

“I’ve waited my whole life, Hope. First for you to be my friend. Second for you to explain why you were saying those bad things about me after the fire. And now I’m waiting for you to make a move.” Lizzie said blushing. “I should just make the move, right?” She asked, a perfect combination of uncertainty and confidence. Hope watched as Lizzie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything around them stilled and the whole world had its eyes on them. At least that’s what Hope was feeling. The tips of her fingers were pricking with electricity and her throat was burning as if she was holding back tears. She closed her eyes and waited for Lizzie’s lips to touch hers. She waited for that amazing connection that had been building for years; maybe for decades and centuries and thousands of years before they were even born. As if this exactly moment was meant to be. As if it was written in the stars and carved on bones and painted with blood. And when Hope’s lips felt the warmth of Lizzie’s breath, she felt goosebumps and all her senses felt heightened. She could hear Lizzie’s fast heartbeat and smell the scent of cinnamon of her hair. She could fell little particles in the air hitting her skin and bouncing back. When they lips finally touched, what seemed to take an eternity to happen, all her thoughts faded and it was like her heightened senses were focusing solely on the sense of tact; on Lizzie’s lips on hers and the fire coursing through her blood and the wind hitting her skin. It was almost painful. And then, after lasting forever, it finally ended and Hope stood there, eyes closed, almost afraid of opening it and realizing she was dreaming. But then she heard Lizzie giggling and all her fears vanished. “I just kissed you.”

“Yes, you did.” Hope said, a chuckle also scaping her mouth. They stood there watching each other’s pink face until they both broke out laughing. They laughed until Hope’s belly ached and she felt tears in her eyes. After the laugh died and they settled for a silly grin, Hope bit her lip. “I would like to do that again.”

“As you wish.” Lizzie said pecking Hope’s lips. “But not tonight because it’s late and we have a big day tomorrow.” She said pecking Hope again. And again. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Another peck. And they would probably stay there staring into each other’s blues eyes forever if it weren’t for Josie opening the door.

“Are you two going to keep up the dumb smiles for much longer or can I get out to go get some iced tea?” She said making them blush even more. Josie only rolled her eyes and walked pass them and towards the vending machine. After getting her iced tea, she came back and rolled her eyes once again at them. “Goodnight, Hope.” She said taking her sister and dragging her inside. Before closing the door, though, she winked at Hope with a knowing look. When Hope finally quieted her heart and made sure she wasn’t blushed anymore, she entered her room.

“You finally kissed her.” Aunt Freya shouted making the blush come back in full force.

“Nah, Lizzie kissed her.” Aunt Rebekah said. Hope grunted.

“So much for privacy.” She said throwing herself on the bed next to aunt Rebekah.

“We are Mikaelsons. There’s no privacy for us.” Freya said smirking.

“How was it?” Rebekah asked and Hope rolled on the bed and put the pillow over her head.

“I’m not going to talk about it with my aunts.” Hope’s muffled voice said.

“That’s okay.” Auntie Rebekah said. “I’ll just hear Lizzie telling Josie from the next room. Ah, the vampire hearing.” She said making Hope choke and Freya laugh. There’s really no privacy with a supernatural family, Hope thought sighing.

* * *

“Tell me all about it.” Josie demanded as soon as she dragged Lizzie inside and threw her on the bed.

“No!” Lizzie shouted glancing at the bathroom where her mom was taking a shower.

“You know, I felt everything you felt through the twin bond.” Josie said smirking. Lizzie blushed.

“No, you didn’t.” Lizzie whispered in dismay.

“Oh, I did.” Josie said throwing herself on the bed next to Lizzie. “Your heart almost exploding, your trembling hands, the way your legs faltered when you were walking towards her. I felt it all.” Josie whispered with her eyes closed. “ _I should just make the move, right_?” Josie said mimicking Lizzie and making her blush even more.

“You didn’t feel anything. You were spying on us!” Lizzie exclaimed and then hit her sister with a pillow. Josie got up laughing out loud and jumped on the other bed. Lizzie threw another pillow at her.

“ _I just kissed you_.” Josie mimicked Lizzie again and this would normally be something that they would do in the past, before all the things happened, to make fun of something or to laugh it off and the fact that Josie was comfortable enough with her again to do this made Lizzie feel like everything would be okay. Lizzie chased Josie across the room and used a spell to throw another pillow at her. But Josie was too good with bouncing spells because the pillow flew right back at Lizzie, who ducked making it hit their mom. She only raised her eyebrow.

“Mom, Lizzie just kissed Hope.” Josie said and Lizzie gave up and went back to her bed careful not to look at their mom.

“Oh, I’ve seen this coming for years, honey. There’s no need to be embarrassed.” Her mom said and Josie’s annoying laugh made Lizzie roll her eyes.

“Goodnight.” Lizzie said and closed her eyes. The last thing she felt before drifting off to sleep was the warm feeling of the twin bond. A cozy sentiment of acceptance and love beyond all measures. Lizzie finally fell asleep wrapped in a cloud of love.

When they woke up the next day, Lizzie felt like the whole world knew that she had kissed Hope Mikaelson. Maybe they knew. She didn’t much care. On the contrary, she felt like yelling to make sure everyone knew. All the way to the location where they would perform the spell, Lizzie held Hope’s hand into hers. They hadn’t kissed again yet but just the closeness to her made Lizzie’s body tickle in bliss. It was the happiest Lizzie had ever been; holding hands with Hope and in the path of discovering the merge’s origin to finally be able to get rid of it.

When they arrived near the place they would have to cast the spell, they had to leave the car and walk the rest of it. As soon and they entered the _forest_ , Lizzie felt the magic. It was something she had never felt before. It was ancient and sentient, an unending undying place of magic, almost a storage that only the ones with the right key could open. Lizzie’s hand reached instinctively to one of the tree and in the moment her fingertips touched it, she felt like she was playing a song in perfect harmony. She looked at her sister; wide-eyed and stunned. This place was too powerful to be just a magical forest. She looked around and then realized: this is where magic begun.

As they went deeper into the wood, the magic became thicker, painful. Lizzie’s surroundings seemed like it were wrapped in mist and the sky, startling blue just before they braved these woods, was now gray and angry. Foretelling bad things. Or maybe reminiscing them. When they arrived at a clearing, Lizzie knew without doubts that this was the place they were supposed to be. She stopped.

“It’s here.” She said and the other women nodded as if they had also felt the certainty of it.

“You girls know what you have to do.” Freya said taking out of her backpack the components of the spell. “Sit down in a circle.” She told Hope and the twins. When the had done what she said, she took a long gold chain and looked at them. “You have to hold it with both hands as you say the spell.” She said closing the chain and, consequently, the circle Hope and the twins represented. “Now you have to cut both your hands and chant the spell. If it works, you should be able to watch what happened that first time.” Freya finished and looked at them reassuringly. When they cut they hands and started to chant the spell, Lizzie saw as the blood on her hands, and on Hope’s and Josie’s, started to run the chain towards each other’s blood. When the blood finally closed the loop of the chain, Lizzie’s world went blank.

* * *

The little girl was beautiful. Long curly red hair going all the way to her waist. She was eight. Her long blue dress indicated that she came from wealth and the diamonds braided in perfect harmony on her hair made her look like a princess. She was bored but she couldn’t tell her father. Not right now, anyway, while he was listening to some of the people of their coven complaining about some trouble. No. Right now she was supposed to hear them too. One day she would be the coven’s leader and she needed to learn. After hours of having to stay excruciatingly still, her father called the meeting off. She was about to get up and run back to her bedroom to play when her father’s friends came back in.

“The leader of the Gemini Coven’s here. Her sister got into labor in the middle of the road and they’re asking hospitality for the next couple of days.”

“Of course. Send them in and ask the servants to make the extra rooms ready for the visitors.” Her father said. A few minutes later, a beautiful woman entered their Meeting room. She had long black hair and gray eyes that were almost transparent.

“Thank you for the kindness.” She said. “I’d like to introduce you to my heirs.” The woman said using her hands to call two boys about ten. “These are Edwin and Jamie.” The boys bowed in respect. Lila’s mouth opened. She had never seen twins before.

“This is Lila, my heir.” Lila’s father said raising his hands. Lila shook away her surprise, stood up and bowed to the woman graciously as she had been taught since she was born.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy your visit.” She said, words already engraved in her mind. The woman smiled at her fondly and nodded.

“Thank you, miss Lila.” The woman said smiling. Lila looked at her father with a questioning look.

“You can go now, Lila. I’ll meet you at dinner.” He said and Lila bowed before finally leaving the room and going to her bedroom. She spent the rest of the day playing alone with her toys. When it was time to get down to dinner, she realized that her dad hasn’t yet left the Meeting Room. Neither had the Gemini’s Coven leader. Lila frowned but went to the dinner room and waited for her dad. After a few minutes, he finally arrived at the dinner room with the other leader. They were both smiling. The twin boys arrived next. After eating, Lila went back to her bedroom. Her dad came to see her before going to his own bedroom.

“Tomorrow I want you to show our village to the leader’s kids.” He told her.

“To the twins?” Lila asked.

“And to the younger kids too. She has another boy. He’s your age. And a little girl two years younger than you.” He said and Lila’s eyes widened.

“She has four kids?” Lila asked stunned. No one in her coven had ever had that many kids. They only had one child. When a family had two, they would be considered blessed. To imagine that a single witch had four kids was almost impossible.

“Yes. Their coven is a little different from ours and they breed a lot of kids.” Her father said laughing at her surprise. “But they’re not quite as powerful as we are.” Her father said winking at her with something proud and reverent about it.

“It’s because we’re the first coven.” She said remembering her classes. She was still learning about her coven before learning about the others. She knew, though, that some covens were only led by men and others only by women. Some, like her own, considered first born, whatever gender they may be. Some had fights for the title of leader of the coven and yet others had their competitors going through a series of tasks and the best would be the leader. She had never heard about how the Gemini coven chose their leader. “She said that the twins are her heirs. What does that mean?”

“Their coven is always led by twins.” Her father said knowing that this would interest his curious daughter.

“So the coven always has two leaders?” She asked surprised. She had never heard of a coven with two leaders.

“Yes, they have. Caledonia has a brother. He stayed back at their village taking care of the people while she traveled to the borders of the Ancient Forest to pay her annual respects.”

“But if they have two leaders, who gets to be the next leaders? Her kids or her brother’s?” She asked a little confused.

“Whoever has twins first. Her twins, Edwin and Jamie, are ten years old and her brother’s twins are only eight so her twins will be the next leaders. When they grow up and have children, the first set of twins to be born will be the next leaders.”

“So they always have twins?” Her father nodded. “That’s a lot of kids.” She exclaimed delighted with the thought of a house full of kids.

“Yes, it is.” Her father said kissing her and finally tucking her in bed. Lila slept and dreamed of houses full of kids practicing magic and laughing.

After a few days, their guests finally traveled back to their village. But the friendship her father and Caledonia, the leader of Gemini coven made, lasted. A few months after their visit, Lila and her father went to visit the Gemini Village. Lile and the leader’s kids became friends growing up. During those years, Lile noticed that although the Gemini Coven was bigger than Lila’s, they were also less powerful. That’s why, when Lila heard her father talking with Caledonia about joining their covens, she wasn’t surprised. She was thirteen and soon she would have to get married and birth an heir to her coven. Her father saw an opportunity to make the leader lineage to breed more heirs and become stronger by uniting them with the Gemini Coven. That same night, he told her that he had already chosen her husband. When she asked her dad which one she would have to marry, Edwin or Jamie, he told her that she could choose whomever she had more affinity with. But Lila didn’t really care about affinity or attraction; she had always known that she would have to get married to whomever her father chose. What mattered to her was to keep the coven strong and safe from humans that tried to hurt them or monsters that preyed on them. They were already the smallest coven with less than fifty people and that was a disadvantage. She was the sole responsible for the future of her coven and she would do everything to make sure it would continue to be strong. That meant that she had to ensure that she would choose the most powerful twin. Whatever the cost.

* * *

“What?” Jamie asked surprised. His mother hadn’t told him about this arranged married.

“My dad told me a few months ago. I’ll have to get married to one of you.” Lila said again with a hint of monotony to her voice.

“Which one of us?” Jamie asked scowling.

“He told me I could choose.” She said smug as only she could be. Jamie had already noticed it before, of course. He supposed that being the only heir to the coven with the strongest magic made her arrogant like that. Jamie, in other hand, came from a coven that bred children like rabbits and was led by two leaders. Jamie and Edwin, his twin, had five younger siblings and eight cousins from his mother’s twin. If he counted the cousins from her mother’s other siblings, the number would be thirty-one. The house he grew up in was always too crowded and he almost didn’t have space to himself. Lila’s house, though, was almost entirely hers. She had a music room, an art room, a toy room and whatever she wanted her father gave her. Now her father had given her the choice over his and his brother’s future, Jamie thought bitterly. Then he shook his head; it wasn’t right of him to think of it this way. She was as attached to this marriage as one of them was. And the one that didn’t end up married to her would have to get married to someone else their mother chose.

“That’s nice.” He said nodding his head. “We are going to be happy with your choice whatever it may be, miss Lila.” He said politely as he always was. Lila frowned as if this reaction wasn’t what she wanted.

“I’m going to choose the one with the stronger magic, of course. My duty to my coven is to keep the magic strong in our bloods.” She said and he nodded in agreement.

“Yes, of course.”

“I think I’ll choose your brother. I’ve seen his spells and noticed that he possesses incredibly formidable magic.” She said. Jamie felt something weird then. No, his brother wasn’t more powerful than him. His brother was more cunning and charming and sometimes more resourceful, yes, but not more powerful. Jamie didn’t say anything, though, choosing to only nod and let it go. A few nights later when Lila had already left their Village with her dad, Edwin told Jamie that Lila had also told him about the wedding.

“She’s beautiful, I give her that.” Edwin said winking at Jamie that only rolled his eyes.

“So is half of the girls our age in our own coven.” He said.

“She’s also whip smart and the next leader of her coven, which happens to be the most powerful coven. How many of those other girls can say that?” Edwin asked grinning as if he was already imagining himself as the leader of the coven.

“You do know that she’ll still be the leader whether she marries you or not, right? Your only purpose is to help her to produce offspring. They’re hoping our rabbit genes pass to the children.” Jamie said closing his book and looking at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll do that gladly. Produce offspring, I mean.” Edwin smirked.

“Good luck.” Jamie dismissed, a little uncomfortable with his brother. He had a way of making even the most serious things look like a joke and always managed to get rid of the trouble by flashing his charming grin and using his wit. Women from five to fifty swooned watching him smile. Men too, for that matter, and Edwin loved it. At sixteen years old, he already had a collection of broken hearts to call his own. Jamie barely could speak his was out of trouble to save his life and even though he was the better looking out of the two, he didn’t have even half as many people swooning over him like his brother. But he was better at magic, that he was sure.

“Thank you.” His brother said. “I was born lucky.” He grinned widely and left the bedroom leaving Jamie with a bad feeling. He tried to understand it, to know what it is, and when he finally did, he was surprised to realize that it was envy. For the first time in his life he felt envy of his brother.

Once the envy settled in, it was impossible to get rid of it; Jamie realized over the years. As much as he tried to ignore his brother satisfied look every time he made Lila laugh or every time Jamie saw their flushed faces displaying secretive smiles that only made Jamie wonder what they were doing, he couldn’t shake it. His mind kept telling him that he was being forgotten, left behind, ignored. He, that always read the books his instructor told him to; he, that always finished his chores before having fun; he, that cared for his people and was always making sure that the sick villagers were being treated right. And it didn’t matter much because at the end of the day, the stories being told over dinner were about how his brother jumped from a horse to the other or how they had to marry some girl off because she was obsessed with him or how they had to fire another instructor because his brother was being uncooperative or because he was hitting on them. He wanted them to notice his accomplishments. That’s why he started to show off his magic to Lila. He always knew that he was more powerful than his brother. Maybe more powerful wasn’t right, he thought. More disciplined. That was it. He had more control and that gave him more range. Lila soon noticed it. If strong magic and control of it were what she was looking, she would find it in Jamie. Jamie made sure of it. He also made sure to demean his brother in front of her every single time and when Lila smiled approvingly, Jamie felt good.

* * *

“I’m going to choose you.” Edwin heard Lila saying one week before she turned twenty. In Edwin’s twenty-two years of existence, he had never been chosen second. Yes, sometimes his mother would choose Jamie over him because Jamie was more reliable and yes, people always trusted Jamie more than Edwin, but those situations didn’t really count. When his mother would choose Jamie for something, it would probably be a charge that Edwin didn’t want anyway and when it came to people trusting Jamie more, Edwin couldn’t care less since he didn’t want the fame of trustworthy. But when he heard Lila saying to his brother that she would choose him, he felt a burning rage inside his chest. He was coming back from one of his lover’s place when he heard voices coming from his brother’s bedroom. He got curious, after all, he had never seen his brother taking someone to his bedroom. To be honest, he had never seen his brother kiss a boy or a girl. When they were younger and closer, Jamie used to say that Edwin’s purpose in life was to collect sexual partners. Edwin didn’t quite agree. He enjoyed being in love. Contrary to popular belief, Edwin always fell in love with his partners. He was just looking for the right one; the one that would turn passion into love. He was a romantic, god forbid people to find out, but he believed that each person had a special someone carefully created for them. A soul that matched theirs in all aspects. So he kept looking. He wouldn’t be ashamed of who he was. He wanted something, he would go after it and get it. He wouldn’t bear prejudice either; using his influence as the son of the leader to make parents accept their children’s choices, because while Edwin didn’t have much of a choice about the path his life would take, people without the burden of leadership had and Edwin liked to believe that they would choose what would make them happy.

But that didn’t mean that he liked being second. No, that only made him realize that the only reason he got to get away with his open-minded thoughts and crazy maneuvers was because people always gave in to him. He had some kind of magnetism, influence, that made them gravitate around him and comply with him. That was why everyone was sure he would be the one to marry Lila. Even their families. He was also pretty sure until a few minutes ago.

“I’m glad you made the right choice.” He heard his brother’s voice from inside the bedroom. “We can announce it tomorrow to our families.”

“No. I want you to do something for me first.” Lila was saying. “As an engagement gift, I want you to bring me one of the Magical Flowers from the Ancient Forest.” She said and Edwin’s eyes widened. Everyone knew that it was nearly impossible to get one of those, at least that was how the childhood tale went. It blossomed in the middle of the Forest and only the most powerful witches were able to get it. Although Edwin had always though of it as a lie, he had heard that there’s a coven that chose its leader by requiring that they searched for the Magical Flower from the Antient Forest.

“I’m going to get it for you.” He heard his brother saying and again he was taken aback by surprise. It wasn’t like his brother to go in irresponsible hunts like that. That would be Edwin. “And when I get back, we can finally join our covens.” His brother said and Edwin’s mind started forming a plan. He would get the Magical Flower and bring it to Lila. That way she would choose him and not Jamie. When his mind had worked it all through, Edwin walked to his bedroom making sure to walk silently so they wouldn’t hear. While he was preparing some clothes and choosing some weapons to take with him, his mind tried to alert him. Tried to tell him that it was like Lila knew that he was listening; it was like she was testing them, but in his rush to win, he overlooked the signs.

He left the house early with the sky still black. He rode his favorite horse for hours only stopping to eat of tend to his needs. He couldn’t risk having his brother surpassing him. When he finally arrived at the border of the Ancient Forest, where witches of all covens came once a year to pay respects to the sentient Forest that gifted them their magic, he braved himself to walk in; tales of horrors and beauty that every sing witch had heard at least once echoing his head.

Once he entered the Forest, he started looking for the mysterious flower that were said to possess infinite power. Some said it was big, some said it was small. It was blue, pink, yellow or green depending on who was telling the story. It smelled like their favorite food or their favorite childhood place. All stories varied when describing the Flower, but all of them also agreed that when one’s eyes see it, they recognize it. Edwin hoped it was true or else this whole journey would be disastrously in vain. After walking only a few minutes, he noticed that the sky was already dark. He frowned just now realizing that he couldn’t see in the dark. His frown deepened when he tried to recall how he didn’t seem to notice this a few moments ago when he was walking in the dark and able to see as clearly as if it was morning. His heart started to beat faster, a sick feeling down his stomach. He decided that he was imagining and cast a spell to lighten the path. After walking a few more minutes, he decided to stop. It was dark and he had been traveling more than twelve hours non-stop. He already had advantage over his brother. He could sleep and wait for morning to start looking for the Flower. When he laid down, sleep claimed him fast.

When he woke up, the first thing he noticed was that it was still dark. His body was rested as if he had slept a full night but he clearly didn’t since the sun hadn’t came out yet. He knew better than continue to walk through these unknown woods with nothing more than his light spells so he decided to eat and wait for the sun. After hours of waiting, he knew something was wrong. It hit him that maybe the darkness was a Forest thing; a way of keeping people out. So he got up and resumed his journey. He walked towards the center of the Forest where the magic was concentrated. He walked for hours and the tiredness was almost killing him when he finally got into a clearing. In the middle of it, a tree. He run towards it as if it were water to a thirsty traveler. When his feet came to a stop in front of the tree, he heard a noise. He turned around watching his surroundings. When he looked back at the tree, his brother popped from behind it. He blinked. His brother was still there. His mouth opened. He had just turned around to investigate the source of the noise and when he looked back, his brother was there as if appearing out of thin air.

“What are you doing here, Edwin?” His brother asked, his voice angry as Edwin had never heard.

“I’m here to show Lila that I’m the one she needs to choose.” He said to Jamie.

“It’s too late. She already chose me.” Jamie said and Edwin noticed the disdain in his voice.

“It’s not late because I’ll bring her the Flower.” Edwin said looking around the tree for the Flower he knew it should be there. “Where is it? Have you taken?” Edwin shouted angry.

“No, but I will.” Jamie said starting to look around for the Flower. One moment the tree was barren, but one blink later there it was. The Flower. It wasn’t exactly a Flower but Edwin couldn’t tell what it was. He could describe the feeling, though. It was like looking at one’s biggest dreams and knowing that they were one step away from getting it. Edwin reached his hands to take it when he felt air tossing him away and making him hit one of the trees. He put his hand on his temple and felt the blood dripping off the wound. He looked at his brother, rage controlling him. He flicked his hand and a moment later little rocks started to hit his brother and he fell to his knees before reaching the Flower. Jamie looked at him and in that moment, they knew that there was no turning back.

* * *

Lila watched them fighting with as much fear as awe. She had followed them in their Flower Hunt, of course. She was intending on picking the Flower herself and making them believe that they were fighting for her was only a way to ensure that she wasn’t going alone in this journey. As she watched them fighting, she realized that they were both using it to release over the years’ resentments. They had completely forgotten about the Flower. It was Lila’s opportunity of taking it, she thought as she started to circle the clearing looking for a perfect spot to got to the tree without being seen. When she found it and she had her first glimpse of the Flower, Lila’s worries about her coven started to vanish. Just looking at the Flower gave her certainty that it could solve all her problems. When she was one step away from it and her fingertips touched it, the whole world stilled. At first she thought that it was because she had taken it, the Flower, but when she felt magic passing through her towards where the twins were fighting, she knew something bad had happened. When she turned around, the darkness surrounding them was all consuming and Lila could barely distinguish a standing figure looking down at a broken body. Lila gasped in horror. When she looked back at the tree, it had disappeared. When she looked back at the twins, the broken body on the ground had disappeared too. Lila ran to the one standing. She couldn’t say which one it was.

“Edwin? Jamie?” Lila called but the person that looked back at her wasn’t either.

“Lila.” He said. “What are you doing here?”

“I followed you here. Who are you?” Lila asked almost to afraid of the answer.

“I don’t know.” He answered and Lila felt coldness enveloping her.

“What do you mean?”

“I killed him.”

“Who did you kill?”

“My brother. Edwin. Jamie.” He said confused. Lila looked at his clothes, at his appearance and tried to distinguish who was this twin, but it was like a glamour over them prevented her from knowing.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Lila said shaking her head. This was not supposed to happen, whatever this was.

“They can’t know what happened.” They said and Lila agreed.

“We don’t need to tell them.” Lila said.

“We’ll tell them that we were paying our respects to the Ancient Forest when he suffered an accident and died. I was consumed by grief and begged the Forest to give my brother back. The Forest answered me but not the way I wanted. It answered me by bringing my brother back inside me. Blended in me.” They said looking ahead with tears in their eyes. “Merged with me.” They whispered and all Lila could do was agree.

“Merged with you.”

And they told everyone that. And as sad as it was, it was also a story of how the love of one brother for another had made possible for him to bring his brother back. It was a blessing. And no one in the world besides them knew the truth: that it was a curse; one that made one brother pay for the murder of the other by having to merge with him. Lila got married with them as it was supposed to happen and not long after she was pregnant. It should be a happy moment for her; she was pregnant with the first set of twins that her Cover had ever bred but happiness was far from what she was feeling. She knew something was wrong with the babies. With each passing day, she felt consumed, tired. When she went into labor, she knew, somehow that everything would turn out even worse than it already was. After hours of painful labor, she finally gave birth to one of the twins. A girl. When she was born the whole Village lighted up. Literally. In flames. The baby was too powerful and just by being there, it disturbed the world’s balance. When she finally gave birth to the second twin, the exact opposite happened: the flames went down and all the magic in the Village seemed to be sucked by the little monster, as the baby would from now on be called. Unnatural. Aberration. Anomaly. In the short lives the twin girls had, they were called worse by anyone that ever came close enough to be hurt by the First-Born’s painfully strong magic or the second-born’s siphoning lack of it. Lila never forgave herself. She knew it was her fault. After the death of the girls, Lila and her husband went to the Ancient Forest once again to bury their daughters. Promising never to see each other again, they parted ways.

Lila went back to her Coven and got married again despite the rumors that increased with time. She didn’t think she would get pregnant again but she did. She grew older enough to watch her son have his first child. She lived long enough to watch his first child die consumed by strong magic. She lived long enough to watch the curse bestowed upon her coven; the curse that would be called the First-Born Curse. The curse that made all first-borns in her coven be overcome by such a strong magic the almost all of them died and when they didn’t, they killed. In the end, she got exactly what she wanted: magic beyond all measures. Before dying, Lila heard that her coven wasn’t the only one cursed. The Gemini Coven already had a curse of their own: at every generation, the set of twins in line to the leadership should merge. If they didn’t, the coven, now linked to the life of its leader, was going to die and it didn’t matter how numerous the coven was, if the leader died without a set of twins merging to trade leadership, they all would die too. The only thing Lila hoped was that one day both curses could be broken; that one day one of Lila’s descendants would be better than her and another set of twins would make the right choice.

* * *

When Josie opened her eyes, the world swirled back to the present. She watched as her sister’s eyes snapped open, two pools of tears. Josie realized then that she had cried too. She looked at Hope. It wasn’t what she was expecting. Josie felt her mom behind her.

“What happened?” She asked and Josie looked at Lizzie and Hope uncertain. _What had happened?_

“Did you see how it all begun?” Hope’s aunt, Freya, asked. Hope nodded. “And?” She asked when neither of the girls said anything. Josie watched Lizzie’s frown and Hope’s twisted lip. “Did you understand how you fit in all this?” Freya asked Hope again when they hadn’t yet answered.

“Yes.” Hope whispered, a grieving tone to her voice. She looked at Lizzie. Josie felt then, the pain her sister was feeling waiting for Hope’s next words. “I have to let them go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU LIKE IT? PLEASE PLS PLS SAY YOU LIKE IT.
> 
> DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT.


	14. Payment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They try to solve the Merge problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I start this with "Forgive me, people, for I have sinned?" HAHAHA I probably should. I took way too long to update this and I can't even muster a decent apology. I just couldn't write it. It wasn't writer's block because I knew exatcly what I wanted to do. I just couldn't bring myself to end it. This fic is really important to me because it's my very first fic ever and I got nostalgic. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like it. I really liked it and I think Hope, Lizzie and Josie learned a lot. And they found Peace within themselves. At least I think they did. 
> 
> This chapter we finish the Merge problem so next chapter we can end that shit hole Malivore and get these girls to finish high school. About time. 
> 
> ENJOY IT AND TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS WHAT YOU THOUGHT

“That’s not at all what it meant.” Josie exclaimed huffing. “Talk about misinterpretation. Is that really what you got from all that?” Josie asked frowning.

“What else would I get? My ancestor was a conniving bitch that tricked your ancestors into competing for her and one of them ended up killing the other. It’s very clear.” Hope said angry at Josie. Couldn’t she see the same thing Hope saw? It all started because of one girl that made twins fight.

“What did you see?” Aunt Rebekah asked looking between them worried.

“The reason why the firstborns on our coven are born with so much power that they end up killing themselves or burning villages and destroying places. It all started at the same time the Merge curse begun.” Hope said looking at Rebekah. Then she looked at Freya. “The reason you were so powerful that your aunt Dahlia wanted you and then me because she saw how firstborns in our family were filled with such a strong magic that she decided to collect them. It’s a curse born from the greed of a girl that cared more about power than anything else.” Hope explained. She noticed that Lizzie was unusually quiet but she thought that maybe she was just processing everything she had just seen.

“She was worried for her coven.” Josie said frowning. “It wasn’t her fault that the twins couldn’t put their love for each other above their need to be chosen by some girl. They shouldn’t have let anyone else be between them.“

“It’s funny of you to talk about that since you were the one that burned down my dorm just because you thought that I would choose Lizzie over you.” Hope said angry, something compelling her to say things that she knew would hurt Josie.

“Hope and Josie, calm down and tell us what happened right now.” Caroline said, her commanding tone making clear that she expected to be obeyed. So they told them. They talked about Lila and her coven’s need of more people; about the Gemini coven being ruled by twins together in accordance and not merged; they talked about Lila’s greed that caused her to drive a wedge between the brothers in order to choose the most powerful and the twins’ betrayal of their brotherly bond. They told them how Lila and the surviving twin got pregnant and gave birth to two babies that were nature’s anomalies: one, the firstborn, too strong that burned and destroyed their village and the other so lack of magic that drained the villagers’ magic. About how they died too soon because they weren’t supposed to exist like that. And how they decided to bury their dead children in this same Forest they were standing right now and never see each other again. After that they went back to their covens with curses on their shoulders: Lila’s descendants would bear the curse of watching their firstborns suffer in pain with too much magic and the Gemini coven would watch all their leaders merge as a punishment for the twin that murdered the other.

“So, a too powerful firstborn and their twin born without magic?” Freya asked taking in the story.

“A siphon.” Josie corrected.

“Why do you think you have to let them go?” Rebekah asked scowling.

“That was what Lila should’ve done instead of bringing them apart since they were little.” Hope said.

“So you think that much of yourself that you believe that letting us go or whatever will just stop the Merge?” Josie asked, her voice laced with poison but also curiosity. She was really surprised that Hope thought that. Now that Hope thought better, saying that the whole Merge problem could be solved by her will was kind of a self-absorbed thinking.

“The two of you got it wrong.” Lizzie finally spoke. Every set of eyes turned to her.

“What?” Hope and Josie asked at the same time.

“It’s not about Lila’s need to be more powerful because she was just looking out for her coven. It also isn’t about the twins killing each other. It’s about the Forest.” Lizzie said touching one of the trees and then taking away her hand as if it burned. “Can’t you feel it?” She asked and Hope noticed that everyone looked around trying to see or feel whatever Lizzie was talking about. “Why do you think the witches came every year to this Forest to pay some tribute or whatever?”

“I don’t know.” Hope answered noticing that Josie was also frowning curiously.

“I don’t know either but it surely has to do with the fact that this place is filled with dark magic.” She said trying again to touch the tree. Josie’s frown deepened as she walked closer to her sister and touched the tree without any problem.

“It seems like regular magic to me.” She said. To Hope too. Hope always could tell when something was dark magic and dangerous but nothing in this forest alerted her of that.

“How can’t you feel?” Lizzie asked weirdly and Hope looked to her aunt that shook her head before looking back at Lizzie.

“Why can you feel? None of us feel anything different.” Hope said slowly.

“I can answer that.” Freya said and they looked at her. “After Josie absorbed all that black magic and got rid of it, her body should go through a withdrawal period. Much like when an addict drops a drug. They could be used to take lots and lots of drugs but it only takes one small portion for the addiction to kick in. Josie seemed to be doing fairly fine so I’ve suspected that Lizzie was going through withdraw period for her. If this forest really has black magic, it makes sense that Lizzie notices it first. You didn’t tell anyone, right?” Freya asked and Lizzie looked away embarrassed.

“No.” She said shaking her head. “It’s not that bad.” Lizzie whispered. “It’s just like an itch that becomes a little annoying sometime. It’s not even the bigger of my mental problems.” Lizzie rolled her eyes.

“You should’ve told us .” Her mom said walking to Lizzie.

“I know. I just- I didn’t want to make it about me again.” Lizzie said looking at Josie. Hope practically felt Josie’s guilt and Lizzie’s sadness over her sister.

“What do you mean about the Forest?” Freya asked to get the attention off the twins’ relationship.

“They called it the Ancient Forest or the Sentient Forest. The covens came here every year to pay some kind of respect.” Lizzie started looking around. Then she looked at Hope. “Hope, is it day or night?” She asked and Hope glanced at the other women before looking back at Lizzie uncomfortable.

“What do you mean? It’s morning, of course.” Hope answered frowning. Lizzie smiled satisfied and Hope didn’t understand for a second until she looked at aunt Freya, that was also frowning.

“No, Hope. You and the twins took a long time into those memories. It’s already late afternoon.” Freya answered. Then Lizzie looked at her mom that was shaking her head.

“Early morning…” Caroline said hesitant. When they were all looking at each other trying to understand what was happening, Lizzie spoke.

“It’s night for me. It’s so dark that I feel the cold of night dew.” Lizzie said making aunt Rebekah’s eyes widen.

“It’s different for each one of us. Why?” She asked and Freya answered.

“If the Forest is sentient like Lizzie said, it could be a defense mechanism.”

“Or an ofensive one.” Josie added making Lizzie nod.

“I think the Forest caused one twin to die.” Lizzie said, almost a whisper, and looked around again. She walked to the middle of the clearing to get a little distance from the trees and all of them accompanied her.

“But why?” Hope didn’t understand.

“They said during the annual tribut to the Forest that the It gave them their magic.” Josie said after some time as if she had just remembered it.

“But nothing in Magic is just given. There’s always a price to be paid. Always a-”

“Sacrifice.” Lizzie completed Hope’s idea. Then Hope understood.

“The Flower.” Hope exclaimed looking around as if the Flower in question would blossom right in front of them. “Lila touched it. The legends said that taking the Flower realized someone’s dream. She felt a surge of power flowing in the direction of the twins. She touched the Flower.” Hope said again watching as understanding washed over everyone’s face.

“And it made her dream come true.” Josie said shaking her head. “Because she wished to marry the most powerful twin.”

“And no twin is as powerful as both twins together.” Lizzie finished.

* * *

Lizzie was filled with sorrow. Not only for the twins but for Lila too. She wasn’t guilty that the Forest read her wishes wrongly. Yes, she wanted to marry the most powerful twin and have the most powerful offspring but if given a choice, Lizzie didn’t think that she would choose to kill someone if that was the price to realize her dream. The Forest read her wishes only and overlooked compassion and inhibition and fear. It’s tricky to have a wish come true without knowing the consequences it will bring.

“So it’s not just a curse.” Lizzie heard her sister saying. “It’s also kind of a payment for the magic borrowed from the Forest when Lila touched the Flower.”

“Like Miss Appleton said all those years ago.” Caroline said then making Lizzie frown.

“Our Feelings and Magic teacher?” Lizzie asked confused and Caroline nodded.

“When you and Hope performed that spell for your project all those years ago, what happened wasn’t what she expected so she started to read some books and do some research to understand why. She came to the conclusion that you two, and Josie too, were bounded by Fate, Curse or Spell. We didn’t understand back then why Hope was related to it but now it all makes sense.” Caroline explained.

“Fate, Curse or Spell.” Lizzie repeated. “Maybe the three of them.”

“What do you mean, Lizzie?” Her mom asked but Hope was the one that answered.

“It’s a curse because we’re being punished by other people’s actions.”

“And a Fate because the three of us weren’t supposed to be born.” Josie said frowning. “Hope is a nature impossibility and Lizzie and I, we should have died when our mother died but we didn’t. It isn’t a coincidence that were are born at the same time. Hope, a too powerful tribrid, and Lizzie and I, the first set ever of siphoner twins. It’s Fate that brought us together.”

“And a Spell.” Lizzie finished. “Because everything in magic has a Spell that makes it happen. It’s like we learned at school. A spell is like the skeleton. It’s what holds Magic together. What we put over it, the flesh, is just the direction we want the spell to go. And as every single body, a spell has its weak links and flaws.”

“So the question is how to unbound them.” Rebekah said. “But how to do it if you three are Fated?”

“I don’t think we want to unbound us.” Lizzie said looking at her sister and at Hope. “We’re clearly here atoning for our ancestors’ sins. I think Fate has brought us together to pay a final debt. To end the cycle.”

“But how?” Caroline asked and Lizzie looked into Hope’s eyes. Hope, that had been so eager to take a blame for a long lost ancestor. Lizzie knew that Hope could see it clearly what they had to do. Josie too, if the sudden surge of fear that crossed Lizzie’s body was any indication.

“We touch the Flower.” Hope said and Lizzie nodded.

“No.” Caroline said aghast. “It was what started all this and you want to touch it? Who knows what could happen this time? It could be worse, girls.” Caroline said coming closer to her daughters as if her proximity would protect them from their Fate, the Spell and the Curse bestowed upon them thousands of years ago.

“It has to be done, mom. But I think this time will be different.” Lizzie said watching Josie look away. But it didn’t matter that Josie didn’t want to meet Lizzie’s eyes; Lizzie could feel Josie’s feelings as if they were her own. “When Lila touched the Flower unaware all those years ago, she did it without fear so her wish was clear as water. For us, though…” Lizzie looked at Hope and Josie. “We were born in fear. Ever since I had my first outburst, I fear that I will ever hurt Jo. That’s my biggest fear.” Lizzie said looking at Josie and waiting until she met Lizzie’s eyes. Lizzie wanted Josie to know it and see it in Lizzie’s eyes. “And I know that Jo’s biggest fear is to hurt me too. Especially after what happened recently. And Hope…” Lizzie looked at the girl she spent years trying to befriend. The girl she fell in love with. Then out of love. And in love again. Fated indeed. “Hope would rather hurt herself and suffer in silence instead of hurting people. This time it will be different.” Lizzie said with conviction that she didn’t quite know from where.

“Lizzie’s right.” Hope said coming closer to Lizzie and slightly touching her hand with hers. Lizzie looked at her grateful. Then she looked at Josie. She was so uncertain that it hurt Lizzie.

“Jo?” Lizzie asked and Josie breathed in.

“I trust Lizzie.” Josie said and Lizzie looked her in the eyes and thanked her. It meant the whole world that they didn’t doubt her even if they doubt the methods. After looking between themselves as if to see if one of them was going to protest what the girls were going to do, Caroline and Hope’s aunts nodded with different levels of reluctance. Lizzie knew that her mother wanted to pick them up like she did when they were small and run away until no one could find them. But she knew that it was her daughters’ choice to make and she had to give support.

“We should leave.” Freya started. “If the Forest is really sentient, it won’t lead you where you need to if we’re still here with you.” She said nudging Hope’s shoulder and nodding encouragingly. Then Rebekah, a little more sentimental, hugged Hope. Caroline also hugged her daughters and Lizzie felt, with certain sadness, that she did it as if this would be the last time. Lizzie kissed her mom’s cheek and promised her that everything would be okay. After they left, Hope and the twins were left standing there with worried faces.

“Are you sure about it, Lizzie?” Josie asked and Lizzie shook her head.

“Not really but what option do we have?” Lizzie asked looking at her sister. “This is the closest we, or our parents, ever came to the Merge. And to be honest? We need to solve this. We can’t keep living as if a guillotine is hanging over our necks. I can’t keep this. And I know you can’t too because I can see your nightmares as I’m sure you can see mine.” Lizzie took her sister hand and Josie nodded.

“You’re right.” She said then looking at Hope. “You’re ready?” Jo asked but Lizzie already knew the answer. Hope was always ready. She always jumped in first and thought about it later. That was why she jumped in Malivore, or in front of the twins when Josie got shot, or into Josie’s subconscious to save her from her Dark self. Hope was crafted a hero _because_ she was born from villains not despite of it.

“I don’t think finding the Flower will be a problem.” Hope said taking Lizzie’s mind away from her worry about Hope’s need to save everyone. She looked at where Hope was pointing and was surprised to see a simple flower. At first, she didn’t think this would be The One but as she walked closer, she was sure that it was. Maybe it was the way her mind conjured moments of herself and Josie as little kids making up plans to get Hope to be their friend; or maybe it was that the memory was slightly altered at the end: this version of the story ended with Hope giving in to them; it ended with friendship between the three girls, no monsters or curses troubling them. Lizzie, although transfixed by the images provoked by this strange Flower, looked at Hope and Josie and asked herself what were they seeing. Was Josie seeing herself growing up under the sun of people’s attention rather than under Lizzie’s shadow? Was she dreaming up Lizzie without any mental problem that caused Josie to lie? Was her wishes about Lizzie at all?

And Hope… was she dreaming of her parents tucking her in at night and telling stories that weren’t stained by their sins? Was she dreaming of growing up without hiding; without having to be Hope Marshal, the witch, but instead Hope Adreaa Mikaelson, the tribrid daughter of two powerful parents? Or was she just wishing peace for the future; seeing Malivore gone, her family close and her friends by her side? Lizzie didn’t know what they were thinking so she stopped and held both of them before they touched the Flower.

“We have to think the same thing.” Lizzie said watching them shaking their heads as if being awaken from a trance. “It will only work if our wishes are the same. To make it right. To pay a final debt.” Lizzie finished and they nodded.

“Let’s touch it at the same time.” Hope said and they walked towards the Flower as the whole world stilled as if watching this moment. Lizzie felt the wind stopping as if the Forest was holding its breath and the silence that washed over there was so deafening that Lizzie thought that her ears were about to explode; it was like going high into the sky until the pression in you head was too much. Lizzie closed her eyes. She didn’t even feel when she touched the Flower but as soon as she did, everything changed. The first thing she felt was a sense of lightness that made Lizzie think that this must be how floating around felt like. The second thing was the smell, sweet and familiar, childhood. Then she heard sounds of nature and finally opened her eyes. Then she understood where the feeling of lightness was coming from. Lizzie inhaled deeply as she saw her body on the ground, Hope and Josie’s beside hers. She looked around and found them also watching their dead bodies on the ground.

“I don’t think it worked, Lizzie.” Josie whispered. Lizzie opened her mouth in shock understanding that it actually didn’t, that they were dead, when Hope touched Lizzie’s arm and pointed at something behind her. When Lizzie looked, she saw her mom falling to her knees at the sight of her dead daughters. Rebekah came running to Hope and started to shake her body as if she could force her into being alive again. Freya was just stuck in place, shock on her face. Lizzie started to run to her mother but then she stopped. They couldn’t see them.

Then the moment was gone. A blur took over Lizzie’s eyes and the next thing she felt was her body being whisked away. When her sight was clear again, she noticed that she was back at school. She looked around almost relieved thinking, for just a second, that it all had been a dream. But then Landon walked right into her followed by Rafael and MG. Hope and Josie started to follow then so Lizzie did the same.

“Hope’s dead, Raf.” Landon was saying with sorrow in his eyes. “So are Josie and Lizzie. Everyone that could fathom an idea to save us.” Landon sat on the bed and shook his head defeated. “It’s the only way to get rid of Malivore and prevent more people from dying.”

“But you will die.” Raf said desperately. When Landon didn’t seem too affected by the prospect of dying, Raf looked at MG. “He’ll die. Are you okay with this?” He asked but MG, always so bright and happy, only shook his head and sat next to Landon.

“We don’t have any other plan. Dr. Saltzman gave up after the twins died. He’s closing the school. We can’t let him send all these kids into the world with Malivore out there.” MG said.

Lizzie looked at Hope. She was devastated. As was Josie. These were their friends. They were about to sacrifice one of them. Lizzie watched in horror as the scene shifted again into Landon being absorbed by Malivore and Raf, of all people, using some kind of arrow to pierce through his heart. Lizzie knew that Landon had died then and with him Malivore. They had found a way to kill it without Hope or Lizzie or Josie. Life had moved on. Lizzie could see that Hope had the same thought in her mind as she kneeled beside Landon’s body and watched as Raf cried. _Life had moved on without Hope needing to save them because they had saved themselves._ Lizzie knew that that was what had hit Hope.

The scene shifted and Lizzie watched as the halls of the Salvatore school became dark, dusty and old. She could tell that years had passed. Then she heard laughter and went running outside. This small laughter had been the first happy thing Lizzie had felt ever since she touched the Flower and woke up in this weird movie of a life without them. A little girl was running as a boy chased her with muddy hands.

“Landon, stop trying to make her as dirty as you.” An older Rafael appeared in the scene.

“Ok, daddy.” The boy answered but instead of stopping, he ran even faster and jumped on the girl that fell to the ground laughing. She whispered some words and a few moments later, the boy’s hair had turned green.

“I won’t even try.” Raf said to a woman standing beside him. A few other people laughed.

“My daughter’s a nightmare. I won’t try either.” The woman answered and Lizzie recognized her as an older version of Penelope. Lizzie looked at Josie to see if she had recognized her too but of course she had. Lizzie looked again at the scene only now realizing that they had flowers in their hands. After talking between themselves and a few other people, some old and some young; three boys arrived. Lizzie gasped. MG and Kaleb were the same. Lizzie didn’t know why she was surprised, they were vampires after all. Lizzie frowned at the third boy walking with them and gasped even harder when she noticed who it was

“Is that... Pedro?” Josie asked behind her and Lizzie nodded. By the age the boy seemed to be right now, at least ten years had passed.

“I brought some stuff Lizzie and Jo gave me when I went to the school.” Pedro said raising a box and showing to people. Raf nodded.

“I brought some of Landon’s stuff too.”

What followed was the ten year anniversary of the school closing. Apparently, they came every year from all over the world to sit around a bonfire and remember their late friends. It seemed so sad and painful that for an instant Lizzie felt relieved that life hadn’t really moved on without them. Until they started to talk about their lives.

Raf had a little boy, Landon, and his wife was pregnant again. He was happy and living in a farm with his family. MG and Kaleb were traveling the world and they laughed telling story after story of them getting to know people and places. Pedro was in college and dating another witch. Penelope lived in Belgium with her wife and daughter. She was a teacher at the All-Witch school she had moved to during high school. They were happy. And the world...

“Has never been better.” Was the words MG used to describe. “No monsters, no attacks. I’ve been keeping an eye for anything but life is just normal. There are vampires killing humans but when it happens, Kaleb and I go after them. There are also witches cursing other witches but I don’t think that will ever change. Werewolves’ packs are not fighting. Even the Mikaelsons are rumored to having all died these days. I don’t think they did but they’re just living like everyone. Things are normal.”

“Have you seen Dr. Saltzman or Ms. Forbes after the school closed?” Raf asked and MG nodded.

“I met her a couple of years ago. She was traveling around the world saving magical kids that needed saving. Dr. Saltzman died five years ago.” MG said.

With that last phrase, the world shifted again and they were back in the Forest they had died. Lila, the girl that first touched the Flower, was there sitting next to their bodies. When she saw them, her eyes turned sad.

“My daughters are buried right under this place.” She said pointing. “I’ll never forget the feeling of losing them.” She said looking at Caroline, Freya and Rebekah. They were sitting next to the dead girls as if they didn’t quite know what to do with their bodies. “You saw what will happen after this.” Lila said and Lizzie nodded.

“Why are you here?” Lizzie asked and Lila smiled softly.

“I never found Peace. How could I?” She asked and Lizzie nodded. She held out her hand for Josie and Lizzie because she felt cold and needed them close.

“Did they find it?” Josie asked. She didn’t need to say who. They all knew she meant the first twins, Jamie and Edwin.

“Not really. They were too fractured. Being merged completely… broke them inside. I can feel their presence but it’s becoming so feeble that I think it will be gone soon. I hope so. I’ll be gone too.” She said walking to them. “I’m so sorry that this happened to you.” She looked at Hope then. “It’s my fault that this power is so oppressing; that it’s never-ending.”

“What do we do now?” Hope asked barely a whisper. Lizzie felt her hand squeezing Lizzie’s for strength. 

“You move on. You saw that life went on. You can leave this world behind and be reunited with the people you love. Your parents will be there.” Lila told Hope caressing her cheek with such a maternal love that Lizzie wondered if Lila were seeing in Hope what her daughters could have been. Strong and beautiful and selfless and amazing. Then Lila looked at the twins. She took their hands in hers. “Your other mom is there. She watches over you every day.” Lila said and Lizzie felt the tears starting to stream down her cheeks. She looked at her mom. She was saying something but Lizzie couldn’t hear it. It was like the veil between life and death was thickening.

“I’m ready.” Hope said with conviction. Lizzie looked at her and Hope kissed Lizzie’s hand before looking at Josie and back at Lizzie. “I always knew I would die. I wasn’t even supposed to be alive.” Hope said and Lizzie gave her mom a last look before looking at Lila with the same conviction as Hope's.

“The curse ended. There’s no more Gemini coven and Hope’s family, your bloodline, will have the opportunity to live life without fearing too powerful children.” Lizzie said.

“And we don’t have to live in fear of hurting each other anymore.” Josie whispered to Lizzie. “I’m ready too.”

Lizzie felt peace then. Inside and out. It was only for a second but it was glorious and beautiful. Lizzie’s mind was clear as it never had been. The world was bright and her magic felt right. Then she felt a tug in her heart and her eyes snapped open. She was breathing hard and her chest hurt. She looked around and saw Josie and Hope looking at her with the same confusion. Then she felt arms around her, pulling her and her sister.

“I thought that you two were dead.” Her mom was saying over the tears. Lizzie frowned trying to understand what was happening when she noticed something she had never felt. She breathed in and out slowly. She felt…whole. She looked at her fingers as if they held answers to a question she didn’t ask.

“I feel... good.” Hope said snapping Lizzie out of herself. “Like a burden have been released. It’s like the first time we touched.” Hope said reaching for Lizzie’s hand like it had happened all those years ago when they first met. When they hands touched though, Lizzie didn’t feel that rush of power that she usually did. She didn’t feel her magic pulling Hope’s as if her life depended on it. Then Lizzie realized why she woke up feeling whole. She was feeling like when she touched Hope. Like that endless magic coursing through her veins and filling every little space within herself. She looked at Josie because she couldn’t feel her like she usually did. She tried to reach for that string that pulled Josie’s feelings to Lizzie but that string was gone as if it was never there.

“I can’t feel you.” Josie said putting words to Lizzie’s feelings. Lizzie shook her head. She couldn’t either. Then Lizzie understood why feeling whole felt so good. It wasn’t just about the magic coursing through her body where once need for it lived. It was about not feeling Josie. By not feeling Josie, Lizzie was feeling herself. Completely and complexly. She wasn’t feeling the conflicting emotions of herself and her sister fighting inside Lizzie for dominance. She wasn’t feeling any of the ghost feelings of Josie’s presence.

Lizzie noticed something through the corner of her eye and she looked at it to see a smiling Lila looking at them. Hope and Josie followed her gaze and watched as Lila kneeled next to them.

“It’s a second opportunity.” She said. “What you saw before was a potential future and you three showed strength and selflessness. I think the is Forest filled with dark magic but also good magic considers you worthy. Not even this antient thing could find a reason to take you. I hope you live, really live, now that the curse is lifted.” Lila said standing up and turning around. A few seconds later, she disappeared.

“It’s over.” Lizzie said unbelieving.

“What happened?” Freya asked and Hope smiled at Lizzie.

“I think we were ready to go and Life, stubborn as it is, decided that we should stay.” Lizzie said laughing. She hugged her sister and Hope smiling. When the three of them hugged, Lizzie felt it. Magic coursing through them unapologetic and wild. Hope’s magic. Now also Lizzie and Josie’s magic. Lizzie smiled thinking about how fitting the payment was. In the beginning a set of twins was born, one child too powerful and the other a black hole of magic, creating an unbalance. Now things were right again. Hope’s too powerful magic had gone into Lizzie and Josie. It was now shared as it was supposed to be between the twins all those years ago. And Josie and Lizzie’s connection had been severed as a physical proof that the Merge wasn’t a problem anymore.

“I wasn’t Malivore’s loophole.” Hope said surprised after some time when they were walking out of the Forest. “I was never a mistake of nature. I was born because I needed to be here.” Hope said amazed and Lizzie smiled happy. For the first time in her life, she saw Hope fitting in; accepting herself and her right to be here.

“You were always supposed to meet us.” Lizzie said. “We were always supposed to be together.” She whispered holding both Josie and Hope’s hands. Josie smiled. The curse was over and life was finally beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And???????
> 
> Tell me in the comments. I really love to chat with you all.


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